The "Ambiguity" of National Security

                    The "Ambiguity" of National Security           

           Wolfer’s article “National Security as an Ambiguous Symbol” offers a one sided and narrow-minded perspective of the term national security.   In lecture one, we discussed many of the sub sections that national security entails, and how all play a role in making up the “umbrella term” that is national security.  Specifically, we discussed physical security, human security, and ontological security.  Physical is the security that protects us from physical harm.  Human security includes the humanitarian side of security such as food and water, health and more.  And ontological security, which assesses threat to identity.  Wolfer’s article provided an outdated definition because it only includes physical security in its definition of national security.  At many points in the reading, Wolfer states that national security should not be uniform amongst different nations and says that the reason for this is because different nationals have different threat assessments.  In other words, nations should assess their degree of national security based only on the threat of physical harm.  While this may be partly true, the reading fails to assess the human and ontological aspects, which may also play as large a role in determining a nations use of national security.  The reading is not wrong in saying that the threat of physical harm may cause a nation to increase national security.  An example of this would be post 9/11 in the United States, when security measures drastically increased due to threat of physical harm.  However, their are other ways to assess national security that the reading fails to address.  A CNN article posted in 2011 discusses the types of aid the United States sent to Japan after a deadly Tsunami in 2011.  The U.S. Naval ships sent to Japan just after the disaster carried humanitarian aid as well as emergency crews.  The would also be an instance where our nation increased national security not as a result of the threat of physical harm; providing an example of what Wolfer’s reading fails to address.  This example proves that other types of security, in this case human security, can dictate a nations overall presence of national security. 

            On page 490 of the reading, Wolfer says “Nations act different because not all are forced with the same degree of danger.”  This is only partly true.  When the United States increased national security to aid Japan, it was not because our country was facing any threat of physical violence.  It was because the US was providing human security.  This disproves Wolfer’s definition of national security as an “ability to deter, or defeat an attack.  This also explains why the author views nation security as an ambiguous symbol; comparing it to wealth and power.  Being able to protect ones nation, perhaps through threat of force, may be a symbol of power.  However, it would be hard to argue that providing human aid and resources to another country after a natural disaster is also a symbol of power.  It seems instead that it is just a moral and selfless response. Not all aspects of national security are ambiguous.

            Baldwin’s article, “The Concept of Security” defines national security in a way that is more appropriate and dynamic. On page 13, Baldwin states his definition of security, which questions the security of values and people.  The inclusion of values is something that Wolfer fails to account for.  By including values, Baldwin’s definition encompasses ontological security, which in lecture one, we learned was a threat to identity and way of life.   Later in the article, Baldwin points out that Wolfer’s article only captures the “basic, intuitive notion” of nation security.  Baldwin’s definition is more dynamic because he addresses Wolfer’s “intuitive definition” but then goes on to discuss costs, actors, values and further aspects of the term. 

Sources:

1) http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/12/japan-earthquake-live-blog-death-toll-rises-amid-widespread-destruction/