The idea of national security: what use is it to policymakers?

Hugh White’s 2012 paper explores the evolution of the concept of national security. He argues that as traditional military threats declined, policymakers expanded national security to encompass a broader range of risks, including intra-state conflicts, transnational threats, and non-state actors. This shift led to a more integrated approach, using diverse policy tools beyond military force. And yet – White argues – the idea of national security remains rather elusive. It is still not quite clear what we mean by ‘national security’, nor how we can best put it to work in the policy process to guide government decision-making. This paper considers these questions, first by looking at the basic concept of national security, and then through an exploration of how we might best make ‘national security policy’.