Chapter 6; security, nuclear weapons, and terrorism Flashcards
national security
A fundamental value in the foreign policy of states secured by a variety of tools of statecraft, including military actions, diplomacy, economic resources, and international agreements and alliances. It also depends on a stable and productive domestic society.
widening school of international security
Sometimes called the Copenhagen school, these are authors who extend the definition of security to include economic, political, societal, and environmental policy areas.
realist view on national security
- Military power is essential in supporting the primary objective of a state’s national interest: survival.
- In an anarchic, state-centric system, war is inevitable.
- Self-help: no other state or institution can be relied on to guarantee your survival.
liberal (grotian) view on national security
- Nations should practice collective security as a means of cooperation and assured protection of national interest, sharing the use of resources.
- Nations have shared responsibility for foreign policy successes and failures.
- Wars undertaken for purposes of expediency are unjust. Defense of life and defense of property are just causes, but if the cause of war is unjust, all acts arising from it are immoral.
- Anticipatory self-defense is forbidden.
- Complete security is impossible.
global humanist (Kantian liberals) view on national security
- Arms reduction is a desirable step toward disarmament.
- The international norm against the use of nuclear weapons should be strengthened.
-Security policy should be guided by a sense of human solidarity that transcends the nation rather than by a desire to maximize national military power. - Human interest should take priority over national interest.
marxist view on national security
- National security is the protection of those who own the means of production.
- There is no need for a large, oppressive military force if people are not oppressed and exploited by a small and powerful group of capitalist elites.
- Inequality is the main security threat in the global
absolute gains
The notion that all states seek to have more power and influence in the system to secure their national interests. Offensive neorealists are also concerned with increasing power relative to other states. One must have enough power to secure interests and more power than any other state in the system—friend or foe.
absolute gains
The notion that all states seek to have more power and influence in the system to secure their national interests. Offensive neorealists are also concerned with increasing power relative to other states. One must have enough power to secure interests and more power than any other state in the system—friend or foe.
security gains
A regional group of countries that have the same guiding philosophical ideals—usually liberal-democratic principles, norms, values, and traditions—and tend to have the same style of political systems.
social norms
A mode of collective action that challenges ways of life, thinking, dominant norms, and moral codes; seeks answers to global problems; and promotes reform or transformation in political and economic institutions.
postmodernity
An international system where domestic and international affairs are intertwined, national borders are permeable, and states have rejected the use of force for resolving conflict. The European Union is an example of the evolution of the state-centric system
weapons of mass destruction (WMDs)
A category defined by the United Nations in 1948 to include “atomic explosive weapons, radioactive material weapons, lethal chemical and biological weapons, and any weapons developed in the future which have characteristics comparable in destructive effects to those of the atomic bomb or other weapons mentioned above.”
revolution in military affairs (RMA)
The effect generated by the marriage of advanced communications and information processing with state-of-the-art weapons and delivery systems. It is a means of overcoming the uncertainty and confusion that are part of any battle in war.
tactics
The conduct and management of military capabilities in or near the battle area.
asymmetric conflicts
In symmetric warfare, armies with comparable weapons, tactics, and organizational structures do battle. Wars are fought on near-equal terms. When stakes are high and those actors in conflict are not equal in terms of weapons and technology, the weaker side adopts asymmetric tactics such as guerrilla warfare, roadside bombs, attacks on civilians, and other terrorist tactics.
a COIN strategy might include…
- providing security for the local population and preventing attacks against civilians,
- protecting infrastructure and providing safe regions for civilians,
- helping local government provide basic services for citizens, and
- helping shift loyalties from insurgents to local authorities.
a counterterrorism strategy includes…
- using technology to hunt and track the enemy,
- sharing intelligence with other states, and
- targeting insurgent leadership with unmanned drones and covert operations.
hybrid warfare
the use of gray zone tactics that include cyberattacks, propaganda, subversion, economic blackmail, sabotage, sponsorship of proxy wars, and, at times, aggressive military expansion. Several nation-states, including Russia, Belarus, China, and Iran, employ gray zone tactics to secure their interests.
new wars
Wars of identity between different ethnic communities or nations, and wars that are caused by the collapse of states or the fragmentation of multiethnic states. Most of these new wars are internal or civil wars.
fragile states
A state that has not yet failed but whose leaders lack the will or capacity to perform core state functions.
nuclear deterrence
Explicit, credible threats to use nuclear weapons in retaliation to deter an adversary from attacking with nuclear weapons.
non-nuclear weapon states (NNWs)
A state that is party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, meaning that it does not possess nuclear weapons.
nuclear terrorism
The use of or threat to use nuclear weapons or nuclear materials to achieve the goals of rogue states or revolutionary or radical organizations.
noncompliance
The failure of states or other actors to abide by treaties or rules supported by international regimes.
EU security priorities include…
1.Democratic governance support for fragile states.
2. Limiting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
3. Addressing extremism and combatting terrorism.
4. Finding ways to prevent violent conflict within and between states.
5. Dealing with the security challenges resulting from climate change.
6. Focusing on cyber security and dealing with disinformation that disrupts order and stability.
7. Exploring strategies that address poverty that is often the cause of violent conflict.
8. Managing economic crises such as trade wars and resource dependencies that could lead to instability in the international system.
global war on terrorism positives
Worse-case scenarios have not been realized.
* A world war has not broken out and the operational capabilities of the major terrorist groups remain limited.
* A major terrorist network has not developed.
* ISIS has been defeated in its attempt to build a caliphate in Syria and Iraq.
* Various attacks have not resulted in major political gains.
* Cooperation among security officials aimed at thwarting terrorist attacks is increasing across the world
global war on terrorism negatives
The terrorist enemies persist and have survived US and other Western efforts at stopping them.
* The extremists seem determined to continue their attacks.
* Jihadis have a powerful ideological message that is attractive and convincing to many individuals on the margins.
* Although defeated in one area, many extremist groups are resilient and continue to harm innocent civilians and simply do not quit.
* Fragile states or ungoverned territories act as incubators of terrorist activities and recruitment.
* Citizens remain fearful and limit their travel and participation in society, although governments have been very successful at containing terrorists
materialism
In this context, it is the spreading of a global consumer culture and popular-culture artifacts like music, books, and movies. Christopher Lasch called this the “ceaseless translation of luxuries into necessities.” These elements are seen as undermining traditional cultural values and norms.
identities
The understanding of the self in relationship to an “other.” Identities are social and thus always formed in relationship to others. Constructivists generally hold that identities shape interests; we cannot know what we want unless we know who we are. But because identities are social and produced through interactions, identities can change.
identities
The understanding of the self in relationship to an “other.” Identities are social and thus always formed in relationship to others. Constructivists generally hold that identities shape interests; we cannot know what we want unless we know who we are. But because identities are social and produced through interactions, identities can change.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
Originally a Saudi-based organization set up by bin Laden after 9/11. In 2009, AQAP joined with a group in Yemen where it focuses its terrorism; AQAP also has a focus on the United States as a target.
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)
Founded in 2003 as a successor to the 1990s Algerian jihad, it emerged from the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat. Their targets are the French and American crusaders. This group has extended its terrorism to Libya, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger.
Al Shabaab
Founded in 2012 with loyalty toward Al Qaeda, Al Shabaab means “young men” in Arabic. These are Somali militants taking advantage of a failed state and attacking the United States and UN peacekeepers. They are best known for their attack on a shopping mall in Kenya.
Boko Haram
This militant Islamist group seeks to establish an Islamic state across Southeast Asia. The group has targeted US and Western interests in Indonesia, Singapore, and the Philippines and attacked tourist areas in Bali in 2002 and 2005.
Jemaah Islamiyah
This militant Islamist group seeks to establish an Islamic state across Southeast Asia. The group has targeted US and Western interests in Indonesia, Singapore, and the Philippines and attacked tourist areas in Bali in 2002 and 2005.
Nusra Front
Known as the Front for the Defense of the Syrian People, the Nusra Front began operating in Syria in 2011. Their favorite strategy is suicide bombing. They have pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda and they seek an Islamic state in Syria.
Hamas
The largest of several Palestinian militant Islamist groups. Hamas is an Arabic acronym for the Islamic Resistance Movement. Committed to the destruction of Israel, the group originated in 1987 following the first intifada, or Palestinian uprising, against Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Since 2005, Hamas has also engaged in the Palestinian political process.
Society of the Muslim Brothers
A transnational Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt. The Brotherhood’s stated goal is to instill the Koran and the Sunnah, or the traditional part of Islamic law that is based on the words and deeds of the Prophet Muhamad, as the “sole reference point for guiding the everyday life of any Muslim family, individual, community, and the nation-state.”
Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent
AQIS is an Islamist militant group that opposes the governments of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Myanmar, Bhutan, Nepal, and several other south Asian countries. Their goal is to establish Islamic states in the region.
postmodern or new terrorism
Groups and individuals subscribing to millennial and apocalyptic ideologies and system-level goals. Most value destruction for its own sake, unlike most terrorists in the past, who had specific goals, usually tied to a territory.
clandestine or “sleeper cells”
Usually, a group of people sent by an intelligence organization or terrorist network that remains dormant in a target country until activated by a message to carry out a mission, which could include prearranged attacks.
making peace with alliances helps states…
cooperate militarily in the event of war; creates trust, reduces uncertainty, security community, deterrence
offensive alliance example
WWII
defensive alliance example
NATO
symmetric alliance example
all states in alliance distibute equally
asymmetric alliance example
US alliance with South Korea
NATO
institutional alliance organization between Europe and North America created originally to deter soviet union
article 5 NATO
attack against one is an attack against all
decision-making in NATO
consensus-based decisions, not majority; forces still under national command
NATO post-cold war
-enlargement
- respond to new global threats
NATO in Afghanistan
- article 5
- international security assistance force (ISAF)
vertical proliferation
a state acquires more nuclear weapons
horizontal proliferation
more states acquire more nuclear weapons
“Nuclear Club”
- US, Russia, UK, France, Inida, Pakistan, North Korea, China
undeclared: Israel
do nukes make peace or war more likely?
- realists think that war is less likely with proliferation
- SAGAN: new NWS pose greater risk, because they are unstable/authortarian
rationale for nuclear weapons
- security
- prestige
- domestic politics
- self-reliance/isolation
pre-conditions for nuclear weapons
- political will
- knowledge
- infrastructure
- fissile material
- design and deployment capabilities
nuclear non-proliferation treaty
centerpiece of the NPT is that it is a multilateral treaty/international law with three parts:
- non-proliferation where NWS cannot transfer/sell weapons to NNWS
- disarmament
- peaceful use of nuclear energy
IAEA (international atomic energy association)
nuclear watchdog that monitors states’ compliance with NPT
critisisms of NPT
- proliferation and states outside the treaty
- potential nuclear terrorism
- lack of major power leadership
- nuclear energy
- choice to sign treaty
successes of NPT
- non use
- restraint
- disarmament
- paranoia
new nuclear weapon states
north korea, iran, india, pakistan, israel
north korea reasons for nuclear weapons
- security- deter attacks from others, ensure survival of state and Kim regime
- economy- idealogical commitment to self-sufficiency and ‘military first’ policy
- prestige- elevates status as a threat
North korea background
- 1964 nuclear weapons program
- 2003 withdrawal from NPT
- “six party talks”
- continuing to enrich uranium, advancing nuclear weapons, and testing
- china has most leverage
- expensive sanctions of punishment
- almost completely cut from global trade
north korea nuclear capabilities
- approx. 20-60 nukes
- tests: ‘06, ‘09, ‘13, ‘16, ‘17
- known possession of uranium and plutonium
- successful test of hydrogen bomb
north korea missile capabilities
- testing of intermediate-range ballistic missiles
- potential intercontinental missiles
- other country missile defense systems
trump-kim negotiations
2016-2018: heated rhetoric and threats
2018: singapore meeting where NK agreed to stop testing and improved diplomatic relations
2019: hanoi meeting where US rejects Nk offer to take down Yongbyon facility in return for full sanction relief
NK proliferation threat
- threat is broader than NKs possession and use of nukes
- NK selling technology for weapons and missiles to countries like Syria and Iran
- risk of enabling new NWS
iran: threat?
1960s- nuclear program
2005- pro-nuclear program
- nukes for energy and to deter regional threats
- enriching uranium and centrirfuges
-IAEA inspections rejected
- lots of fissile material
Iran Sanctions after NPT violation
comprehension triple sanctions from UN, EU, and US
- sanctions target oil economy, banking, individuals and industries linked to nuclear energy
- devastating on economy
- forced Iran to negotiating table
The Iran Deal
2015- P5 negotiated agreement for Iran to reduce centrifuges and stockpile and to be inspected by IAEA for sanctions to be relieved
2018- trump admin pulls out of deal
2021 Iran
- 70% uranium
- more expertise
- more centrifuges
- less time to make weapons
