Question

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

Answer 1

In response to the threat emanating from other countries, the government has the following choices available:

a. To surrender - This implies surrendering or putting down the weapons and submitting to the adversary.
b. To attack - This means to prevent the other side from attacking by enhancing one’s offensive capability. This works with the logic of deterrence which aims at dissuading an adversary by using threat that aims at keeping away an adversary from taking a particular course of action.
c. To defend - This strategy is used during the actual breakout of a war, where a country would use all its military strength and capabilities to counter attack and inflict defeat on its adversary.