The Security Dilemma: A Conceptual Analysis

Abstract

The security dilemma is one of the most important theoretical ideas in international relations.1 In the years since Herbert Butterfield, John Herz, and Robert Jervis first developed the concept, 2 it has been extended and applied to "address many of the most important questions of international relations Shiping Tang is Professor at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs (SIRPA), Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Prior to his current appointment, he was Senior Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, where this article was finished.I thank Stephen Van Evera, two anonymous reviewers, and the editors of Security Studies for their perceptive criticism and suggestions. I also thank Alan Collins, Robert Jervis, Stuart Kaufman, Andrew Kydd, Ned Lebow, Barry Posen, Robert Powell, Randall Schweller, and Stephen Van Evera for responding to a survey on the security dilemma. Beatrice Bieger provided excellent assistance on the bibliography. I dedicate this article to Robert Jervis, on the thirtieth anniversary of his seminal article, "Cooperation Under the Security Dilemma." 1 I differentiate the term "security dilemma" from "security dilemma theory." The security dilemma is a concept for labeling a particular situation in international politics. Security dilemma theory is the body of knowledge that seeks to understand the underlying causes, regulations, and implications of the security dilemma. I also differentiate the security dilemma from its close relative-spiral. Also, we should differentiate a spiral from the spiral model.

From Defense to Offense: Realist Shifts in Saudi Foreign Policy

“…7 As two states subsequently seek security in relation to each other's growing military capacity, an inadvertent positive feedback loop of martial one-upmanship emerges in which tension increases, and the likelihood of catastrophic miscalculation and open conflict becomes more probable. 8 While offering insights into how states mistakenly stumble into conflict, defensive realism argues that proactively aggressive international actors tend to be anomalies. The theory suggests that revisionist, expansionist efforts seeking to forcibly remake local, regional or global security architecture in one's own favor tend to be self-defeating and likely to elicit severe penalties.…”

Perception Patterns

“…According to Mitzen (2006, p.343), realists fail to show the effects of identity on conflicts, since they cannot recognize the socially constructed dimension of identity. Tang (2009) attempts to promote a more rigorous definition of the security dilemma and points out anarchy, lack of malign intentions, and power accumulation as the three essential aspects of a genuine security dilemma. Tang (2009, p.622, 623) also suggests that scholars should conduct further research on the role of fear and analogical reasoning in the construction of a security dilemma.…”

Logika Dilema Keamanan Asia Timur dan Rasionalitas Pengembangan Senjata Nuklir Korea Utara

“…Rasa khawatir dan sikap saling curiga merupakan salah satu unsur dari dilema keamanan. Korea Utara menginvestasikan banyak anggaran untuk pembangunan nuklir sebagai kompensasi dari menurunnya tingkat kemampuan militer konvensionalnya apabila dibandingkan dengan Amerika Serikat, Jepang, dan Korea Selatan (Tang, 2009). Saat dihadapkan pada kondisi keamanan yang dilematis akibat gangguan eksternal, strategi pengembangan senjata nuklir dinilai memiliki kemampuan untuk menyeimbangkan kekuatan.…”