Cooperative Security: Implications for National Security and International Relations

In the post-Cold War international system, in addition to addressing the role of force and military competition, the concept of cooperative security now entails economic and environmental security concerns as well. Economic performance rather than military capability is seen increasingly as the measure of a state’s power in the international community. A cooperative security approach is needed because many of the current problems facing countries lie beyond the capacity of any one country to resolve. Making cooperative security a major mode of interaction in the international system as the next century unfolds, however, requires that states conduct business differently than they have in the past. Change is needed in both perspective and operations. The role of technology is to provide data as well as the means to analyze and interpret the data effectively. The future of cooperative security also demands that states build a range of capabilities to implement international agreements, to build an analytical community, to address transnational threats, to prevent or resolve conflicts, and to build civil societies.