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International Relations & Diplomacy vocabulary · Theories of International Relations

Security dilemma

Meaning in international relations & diplomacy, with examples

nounCommon term

In international relations & diplomacy, security dilemma means: A situation in which one state's efforts to make itself safer, such as buying weapons, make other states feel less safe, so they respond and overall insecurity rises.

In Turkish: güvenlik ikilemi

How it is used

A key concept in security studies, first described by John Herz in 1950. It is used to explain arms races and spirals of mistrust even between states with no aggressive intentions. Confidence-building measures are designed to ease it.

Example sentences

  1. The security dilemma explains how two defensive states can end up in an arms race.

  2. Each side saw the other's new missiles as a threat, a classic security dilemma.

  3. Regular military contacts can reduce the security dilemma between neighbours.

Common collocations

  • classic security dilemma
  • ease the security dilemma
  • spiral model
  • security dilemma dynamics
  • anarchyIn IR theory, the absence of a world government above states, so that each state must rely on itself for its security; it does not necessarily mean chaos.
  • deterrenceThe strategy of preventing an attack by making a possible attacker believe that the costs, such as a strong response, would be greater than any gain.
  • arms controlAgreements and measures between states that limit the number, types, testing or use of weapons, especially nuclear weapons, in order to reduce the risk of war.
  • confidence-building measuresPractical steps that states take to reduce mistrust and the risk of misunderstanding, such as sharing information, giving notice of military exercises or setting up hotlines.
  • realismA major theory of international relations holding that states are the main actors, that they pursue power and security in an anarchic system, and that conflict is always possible.

More terms: Theories of International Relations

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