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Global security

Shared responsibilities: a national security strategy for the UK

Considering national security strategies



Authors:
Publisher: Institute for Public Policy Research , 2009

Full text of document

This report presents a set of observations about the state of the world's changing security. It points to how globalization and power diffusion have altered the world order by diluting the control of national governments. The number of fragile and unstable states outnumber strong and stable ones. Climate change, poverty and inequality are exacerbating the situation. The spread of pandemics is being eased by urbanization and globalization. Transnational criminal networks have expanded their operations of trafficking drugs and arms. A global neo-jihad ideology has enveloped the international security landscape. Nuclear arms proliferation is of great concern and rapid advances in information are making biological warfare, cyber-crime and terrorism easier. The position of the United States as a world power is changing while the European countries are getting weakened, it observes.

The report identifies the following principles on the way forward for the UK government - although they  could be applicable to all states:

  • define the risks to national security widely to cover human threats and natural disasters
  • play the role on the international stage while exercising sovereignty responsibly
  • increase the level of multilateral cooperation
  • work domestically with the private sector, community groups and local government up to the private citizens
  • establish legitimacy of state action as a strategic imperative
  • refine the conflict prevention policy
  • commit itself to building resilience in infrastructure and by educating and increasing community self-reliance
  • forge a flexible, well coordinated and coherent whole policy.
The report makes numerous specific recommendations which are all captured in the following policy conclusions to the UK:
  • build a distributed response externally by investing political capital and resources in efforts to build more effective international cooperation
  • build a distributed response internally by devolving and delegating power down to local government, communities up to private citizens
  • coordinate the dispersed national effort by strengthening the strategic centre of government. It should establish a single cross-government security budget
  • on legitimacy, demonstrate a commitment to the values of the rule of law, upholding human rights, democratic and transparent policy making in UK.