Understanding The Security Dilemma — How a Focus on Security can Lead to Conflict
The security dilemma explains why countries with fundamentally compatible goals still end up in tension with one another. I have linked two papers at the bottom of this article. One is the original paper from 1978 on the security dilemma and the other is a paper from 1997 offering an updated perspective. So, what is the security dilemma? Let us start by defining some terms.
Security dilemma: A situation in which “the means by which a state tries to increase its security decrease the security of others”. This process can spiral into a back and forth where two nations are continually expanding their offensive and defensive capabilities in response to each other.
Security seekers vs greedy states: Security seekers are states that are only interested in protecting themselves whereas greedy states hold ambitions of expansion. The security dilemma can only occur between states that are both security seekers.
Offense-defense balance: The ease of taking territory compared with the ease of holding territory when attacked — if it is easier to defend than attack conflict is less likely.
Offense-defense differentation: Whether weapons and policies that protect the state also provide the capability for attack — if fully differentiated the security dilemma is alleviated.
Interestingly, decreasing the security of other states by increasing one’s own security can be self-defeating in several ways:
- “By setting in motion a process that reduces the state’s own military capability by making it harder to perform military missions”
- “By increasing the value the adversary places on expansion, which makes it harder to deter”
- “By wasting money”
One reason that the security dilemma is important: “Statesman who do not understand the security dilemma and therefore do not understand the choices faced by their adversary will infer incorrectly that the adversaries build up reflects greedy motives.”
If you would like to learn more check out the original articles. The paper by Jervis is a seminal paper in the field.
Glaser, Charles L. “The security dilemma revisited.” World politics (1997): 171–201.
Jervis, Robert. “Cooperation under the security dilemma.” World Politics: A Quarterly Journal of International Relations (1978): 167–214.
