This document contains a basic summary of CSS theories from Part 1: Approaches. A handy document for those studying international relations and Security from a 'Broadened' perspective, not a realist one.
Key ideas of Critical Security Studies: An Introduction
-The concept of security is now contested. The once dominant association of the concept of security with
military threats and with the protection of the state (national security) is no longer unquestioned.
“National security in itself is at best an ambiguous symbol” - Wolfers 1952.
-The term critical, derives from the greek word “kritikos” which refers to the ability of making judgements
to separate, discriminate and decide.
“Our appending of the term critical to security studies is meant to imply more an orientation to the
discipline (of security studies) than a precise theoretical label. If the objective (or at least outcome) of
much scholarship in security studies has been to render the question and problem of security apolitical
and largely static, critical theory takes the question of change as its foundation, in both an explanatory
and evaluative sense.” - Krause and Williams 1997.
-Meaning that one must read critical security studies and an “orientation” rather than in terms of a “precise
theoretical label.”
Key concepts in critical security studies:
Referent object: An entity that is taken as the focus of analysis in security studies, e,g the state, the
human or the ecosystem - ‘that is which to be secured.’
Traditional security studies: Refers to the state being the priority referent object of security and focuses
primarily on military threats to the security of the state (state centric approach in realism).
Broadening: Refers to the move away from the narrow military sector focus to the analysis of issues in
other sectors such as environmental or economic.
Deepening: The idea that the state is not the only referent object of security.
Normative: A normative position is one that explicitly takes a stance on what should or ought to be
analysed and/or secured.
Positivism: Refers to a theory of knowledge that argues it is possible to apply scientific principles of
objectivity, replication, verification/falsification and generalisation - used to study the natural world, and to
the study of society and security.
Post-Positivism: Refers to a series of approaches, including many critical approaches to security, that
reject the idea that it is possible to analyse the natural and social world in the same way. These
approaches emphasise the point that truth claims can never be grounded; there is no objective view from
nowhere, outside history and politics from which we might take a neutral position.
Security as a derivative concept: The idea, among critical approaches to security, that the way we think
about security derives from the way we think the world works more broadly.
, Constructivist theories:
-Constructivism sees the world, and what we can know about the world as socially constructed - that
actions, interactions and perceptions shape reality, to construct international relations.
-Social norms are central to constructivism. These are defined as a “standard if appropriate behaviour for
actors with a given identity” (Katzenstein 1996).
-The logic of appropriateness; States that conform to a certain identity are expected to behave in such a
way which implies that many kinds of behaviour and actions are more acceptable than others.
-Social constructivist example from Wendt: to the US, 500 British nuclear bombs are less threatening to
the US than 5 North Korean nuclear weapons because the UK is a US ally while North Korea is not. Amity
or enmity is a function of shared understanding. According to Wednt: “A security dilemma is a social
structure composed of intersubjective understandings in which states are so distrustful that they make
worst-case assumptions about each other's intentions” (social construction of nuclear insecurity).
-European pluralism; the ultimate outcome of pluralism was a security community, a situation in which the
prospect of war between a group of states has been eradicated due to deeply embedded structures of
communication (e.g Franco-German relations in the EU).
-Logic of community; the idea that actors can share values, norms and symbols that provide a social
identity, and engage in various interactions in spheres that reflect long-term interest, diffuse reciprocity
and trust (EU, NATO, ASEAN, BRICS social, political and economical integration).
-Socially constructed “insecurities” within states are a “social production of danger” - as a key dimension
of social relations in general and international politics.
Critical Theory:
-Including “Critical Theory” on security studies implies the “Broadening and Deepening” of security
studies. Essentially security studies will focus on other aspects than just the military, environment,
economy and social issues.
-The introduction of social sciences to realist/traditional security studies is a concept inspired by early
social scientists in The Frankfurt School of Critical Theory as an extension of Karl Marx's critique of
capitalism beyond the finance sector.
-Negative peace; the complete absence of war currently.
-Positive peace; the pursuit of social and economic justice as a means of addressing underlying causes of
conflict.
-Problem Solving Theory; Robert Cox argues that the nature of world politics is a “given.” Meaning that
there are a number of actors and issues that we should always focus upon. Traditional Security Studies
assumes that states are key actors in world politics and war is a key problem that must be “solved.”
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