Understanding National Security as Contextual: The Implications for Small State Defence Policy
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Date
2022
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Centre for Defence and Security Studies, Massey University
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Abstract
This article proposes that the concept of national security is contextual, and therefore is viewed differently by small and large states. Additionally, it is argued that state military responses within their overarching national security approach should reflect the unique demands of their specific strategic environment. This proposition is based on analysis of the national security literature of selected large and small state cases. The national security discourses of United States, China, and Russia indicate a threat-based approach to defence policy which focuses on constructing a narrative around competing actors as threats to global stability. On the other hand, the small state discourses selected from New Zealand, Poland, Canada, and Chile, focus on defining and articulating the strategic environment they find themselves in rather than on threats. Despite these different perspectives, both small and large states employ the same model for developing their military contribution to national security, which may be seen as problematic for smaller actors as government and citizens’ expectations of state militaries increase in the post-Cold War international environment.
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National Security Journal, 2022, 4