This document discusses the concept of national security and its primacy in foreign policy. It defines national security as protecting the survival of the nation-state from external threats. Realism theory views national security as the core objective of foreign policy. During the Cold War, national security dominated foreign policy agendas and led to the emergence of security studies. The document also examines different American grand strategies like neo-isolationism, liberal internationalism, and primacy that aim to achieve national security goals through different approaches to foreign involvement and military posture.

1. The primacy of
national security
Lecturer: Ibrahim Koncak
International Ataturk Alatoo
University
Department of International
Relations
Aigerim Kenzhebek kyzy

2. Brainstorm
• What does national security mean?
Who or what we are
attempting to secure?
What kind of threats do we have?

3. National Security
– associated with the notion of protecting and ultimately securing, the physical
survival of the nation-state from external threats
– Concept of human security (Libya, Syria)
– Internal and external sources of threats
– Globalization →transnational terrorism, economic deprivation, environmental
degradation, cyber-warfare

4. Realism and National Security
– The core objective of foreign policy is to ensure the survival of the state
– Fundamental national interest of all states is national security
– 3 S’s’: statism, survival and self-help (Dunne and Schmidt, 2011)
STATISM SURVIVAL
• Physical base
• Idea of the state
• Institutions
• sovereignty
Self-help
• Structural realists→ size of
population and territory, military
strength, wealth
• Classical realists→ tangible and
non-tangible elements of power
• Defensive realists→ power
maximizers, balancing behavior
• Offensive realists→ the most
powerful
• Ensure own survival
in IS
• Security dilemma

5. Realism and National Security
– Realists recommend to accumulate power for yourself, and ensure no other
state has acquire a preponderance(превосходство) of power
– Balance of power is a key component of national security

6. Security studies and national
security
– the Cold War rivalry between the USA and the Soviet Union, symbolized by the
nuclear arm race, served to underline the primacy of national security. As
national security concern came to dominate the foreign policy agenda, the new
academic field of security studies was born.
– Security studies(Walt ,1991):
 may be defined by as the study of the threat, use and control of military force;
 Explore the conditions that make the use of force more likely
 And the specific policies that states adopt in order to prepare
for/prevent/engage in war

7. Security studies and national
security
– Policy of deterrence - prevention of war by having something such as weapons
(nuclear weapon )or punishment to use as a threat
– The role of nuclear weapons is to prevent WW3 (Bernard Broodie)
– The nuclear weapons could never be used as military instruments of power or
built into foreign policy strategies. (M. Gorbachev)
– Issues concerning human rights, the environment, economic development were
explained in terms of NS →Human security

8. National security and American
grand strategy
– Grand strategy →overall vision of the state’s national security goal and the ways
to achieve these goals
Determine states security goals
Identify the main source of threat
Ascertain political, economic, military resources

9. Neo-isolationism
– Known as “interest-based” foreign policy OR “strategy of restraint”
– Be not involved in managing the affairs of other states
– USA extraordinarily secure from external threats (favorable insular position,
weak neighbors to the north and south, huge military capabilities)
– National interests > national security
– Dismantle NATO, remove American troops from states such as Japan and
Germany, reduce defense spending, focus on America’s own needs and interests
– The threat of terrorism will be decreased

10. Liberal internationalism
– America is secure and prosperous because of its global leadership after WW2,
and as liberal hegemon maintained international peace
– In a globalized interdependent world, the USA is not immune from traditional
military threats or from newer security threats including terrorism, WMDs,
global climate change
– American national security=globe security
– The 2010 NSS by Obama proclaims that international cooperation is needed to
meet common security challenges, and recommends that USA work through
international institutions and alliance partners, and form new partnership with
other states

11. Primacy
– America has been the only super-power in the international system
– America’s grand strategy should be one preventing any future gran powers from
challenging the power of the USA
– Can be achieved by military dominance, stationing troops around the globe,
underwriting the security of allies such as Germany and Japan, actively working
to prevent the rise of powers such as China, Iran
– Multipolar world=treat for the USA. To prevent this US should continue to
commit its military power and act as pacifier in Europe, Asia, Persian Gulf, and
other strategic regions.

12. Conclusion
– Before assuming the primacy of national security in FPA, one should think how
the concept is being employed, consider types of the threats.
– While realists are able to provide an explanation for the primacy of national
security, there are numerous critics who disagree with them.
– Replace the state as the object of security with individuals/world society.
– The study of grand strategies shows how a state can use different foreign
policies to achieve NS