ABSTRACT
This concluding chapter is devoted to an overview of the findings regarding the CIMIC role and role conflict, as well as a discussion on the relation between role conflict and the effectiveness of NATO’s civil-military cooperation. Here, the severity of role conflict is assessed by exploring the relative incompatibility of role expectations, the rigour with which they are formulated, and the innovative mitigating techniques. This section concludes that the relatively high incompatibility of role expectations in CIMIC coupled with the unavoidability of role conflict has a serious impact on the effectiveness of civil-military cooperation, here understood as the ability to attain its goals. The chapter proceeds to inspect this influence on both short- and long-term goals of CIMIC. The final section indicates avenues of further inquiry, as well as includes a set of recommendations which could contribute to an increased polydexterity and effectiveness of NATO CIMIC.
