National Security as Foreign Policy

1
National Security as Foreign Policy

• February 4, 2014

2
Overview

• Defining/redefining national security
• Theorizing national security
• Realism and national security
• Security studies and national security
• National security and American grand strategy

3
What is security?

• Take a minute and jot down the key ideas that
  come to mind when you think of concept of
  security?
• Think about how these different ideas might
  impact the way a decision maker approaches
  foreign policy

4
Defining national security

• Crucial concept for foreign policy but no
  universal definition of what it is
• Traditional meaning of national security
  protecting and securing the physical survival of
  the state from external (military) threats
• Protecting territory from foreign invasion
• Security redefined (e.g. Wolfers, Buzan) expanded
  from military health, economics, environment,
  etc.

5
Whose security and from what?

• Clarify the referent object of security (whose
  security?)
• Human security individuals as referent object
  (and state itself as possible threat)
• Threats (security from what?) subjectively
  defined, and widened, like security itself

6
Deepening Broadening of Security

• Thus, see concept of security moving in two
  directions
• Deepening - from state to individual
• Broadening - from military threats to things like
  health, environment, economy etc.

7
Theorizing national security

• Realism focuses on the external sources of
  national security threats (outside the boundaries
  of sovereign state, from the anarchical system)
• Critical Theory analyzes threats inside and
  outside the state (Threat of poverty,
  environmental degradation and domestic repression
  of essential human rights, all reside inside the
  state.)

8

• Constructivism security and threats as social
  constructions how we understand these concepts
  and processes that can change our understanding
  envisages security communities whereby states
  share the collective sense of identity and
  security
• Integrative approaches combining internal and
  external factors into a comprehensive national
  security policy (Leffler)

9
Realism and national security

• For realists, the fundamental national interest
  of all states is national security. The three
  Ss
• Statism states as central actors makes security
  a pervasive element of foreign policy

10
Realism and national security

• Survival central goal of all foreign policy use
  force as a legitimate (element) instrument of
  statecraft
• Power vs security debate (offensive vs. defensive
  realism)

11
Realism and national security

• Self-help take appropriate steps to ensure
  survival, balance of power as enduring structural
  feature
• The security dilemma - efforts to build defensive
  capabilities in one state can be perceived as
  threatening to others, which causes them to build
  their own defenses, which can in turn be
  threatening to the original state

12
Security studies and national security

• Security studies is defined as the study of the
  nature, causes, effects, and prevention of war.
• The concept of national security rose to
  prominence during the Cold War, monopolized by
  Realists.
• The concept of human security arose in the early
  1990s, which placed individuals at the centre of
  security strategies.

13
National security and American grand strategy

• Grand strategy is a crucial component of a
  states foreign policy it is the overall vision
  of a states national security goals, and a
  determination of the most appropriate means by
  which to achieve these goals.

14

• It entails a 3-step process
• Determine the states vital security goals.
• Identify the main source of threats to these
  goals, internal and external.
• Ascertain the key political, economic and
  military resources that can be employed as
  foreign policy options to realize national
  security goals.

15
American grand strategy

• A variety of different grand strategies can be
  identified for the United States
• Neo-isolationism interest based foreign policy
• Liberal internationalism
• Primacy

16
American grand strategy

• Neo-isolationism America should focus on its own
  national interests.
• Activist, globalist role is no longer needed in
  post-Cold War era.
• US is secure from external threats with power to
  guarantee its security.

17

• Liberal internationalism an expansive American
  national interest, (that includes world peace),
  necessitates multilateral engagement in pursuit
  of common goals.
• The US not immune from military threats.
• Central democracy, human rights, interdependence
  and role of institutions

18

• Primacy preserving US power as the undisputed
  pre-eminent power in the international system.
• US must ensure its military dominance, preventing
  emergence of a multi-power structure.
• Institutions seen as restraining unilateral
  options

19

• Which of the three do you think the US has taken
  in recent years?

20

• There is a good deal of evidence to suggest that
  US has based its foreign policy on a grand
  strategy of primacy
• It is worthwhile to ask whether this strategy is
  sustainable as evidence suggests that attempts to
  counterbalance the US are underway.

21

• States feel insecure, leading them to increase
  their military capabilities.
• Realists advocate a policy of offshore balancing
  that attempts to maintain Americas relative
  power and national security in an emerging
  multipolar world.

22
Conclusion

• Despite the importance of national security to
  FP, there is no universal agreement on the
  concept
• Thus, its always important to consider how the
  concept is being used
• Also important to be aware that some of the
  approaches to security that realism advocates can
  actually create insecurity.