IR: The New World of International Relations
Chapter 13
In Pursuit of National Security
(Tom Stoddart/Getty Images)
Copyright @ 2012, 2010, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Security: Concepts

Live and Let Live – Be nice to your neighbors

Bystanding – Try to stay neutral among aggressive
neighbors

Bandwagoning – Follow the lead of a stronger nation
Copyright @ 2012, 2010, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Security: Concepts

Buckpassing – Pass responsibility to a stronger power,
as Europe does to the US

Balance of power – create protective alliances, e.g.,
NATO

Hegemony – a strong country arranges things to its
desires; allows weaker nations to bystand or buckpass
Copyright @ 2012, 2010, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Technology and Security

A nation’s security depends on its military technology

Changes in technology alter security relationships

Nuclear weapons and electronic/computer technology
has led to revolution in military affairs (RMA)

Asymmetry of strength has led terrorist, non-state actors
to pursue various high-tech alternatives
Copyright @ 2012, 2010, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Four Basic Strategies for Security

Defense – Blocking an enemy’s attack

Deterrence – Dissuading an attack by showing its high
cost

Détente Diplomacy – Attempts to relax tensions between
hostile countries

Disarmament – Elimination of existing weapons
Copyright @ 2012, 2010, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Defense

Defense makes an opponent’s offense ineffective: shows
an attacker it cannot win

Two problems with defense



Does it have enough?
Is it the right kind?
Does current war favor offense or defense? Depends
heavily on technology of the time:


Machine gun gave defense edge in World War I
US technological superiority decisive now; may be vulnerable to
advances in electronic countermeasures and anti-missile
defenses
Copyright @ 2012, 2010, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Deterrence

Assumes rationality and cost-benefit calculations: an
enemy will not attack if costs outweigh benefits

For deterrence to work:


Enemy has to know your strength in advance
Deterrent capability has to be credible

Risk of having good deterrence is that it may cause
deterring country to preemptively attack the threat

Nuclear weapons allow relatively weak nations to hold a
much stronger nation at bay
Copyright @ 2012, 2010, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Détente Diplomacy

Easing of tensions between hostile states so that war
does not break out

For détente to work:


Parties in a dispute must have more in common than in
conflict
Parties have to abide by terms of their agreements

Danger of nuclear conflict has spurred resort to détente
diplomacy

Growing world trade induces nations to participate in
diplomacy and hence a reduction of tensions
Copyright @ 2012, 2010, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Disarmament

Disarmament proponents assume “arms cause wars”

Arms in hands of one nation will stimulate arms race

Treaties have been fairly successful in leading
disarmament attempts; yet Nonproliferation Treaty has
failed to prevent some nations from seeking them

General and complete disarmament a utopian goal so
long as security threats exist in world
Copyright @ 2012, 2010, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
A Combination

States use defense, deterrence, détente diplomacy, and
disarmament, often in combination

Defense, deterrence, and détente can be combined


Defense and deterrence make the costs of aggression too high,
and détente makes the benefits of cooperation enticing
Disarmament, however, conflicts with deterrence and
defense
Copyright @ 2012, 2010, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.