Question

What are the choices available to a state when its security is threatened, according to the traditional security perspective?

Answer 1

Traditional security perspective emphasises on compromises to limit the violence by giving following three choices to the state if its security is threatened:

1. To surrender when actually confronted by war, but they will not advertise this as the policy of country.
2. To prevent the other side from attacking by promising to raise the costs of war to an unacceptable level.
3. To defend to protect itself when war actually breaks out so as to deny the attacking country its objectives and to turn back or to defeat the attacking forces altogether
4. Hence, state’s security policy is to prevent war which is called deterrence and with limiting or heading war called defence.