When we think about national security, the first thing that comes to mind is the threat of war. We are certain that we will be able to withstand the threats with the help of NATO with the United States (U.S.) at the forefront. In fact, there are many more security threats. International partners and our own contributions are equally important preparing for them.
"When it comes to the security of the state and society, it is usually equated with preventing and countering military threats. In other words, security is militarized. In fact, we need to talk about a much broader approach to security: there are not only military, but also, for example, ecological, economic, energetic, information and hybrid threats", said Mykolas Romeris University's (MRU) Public Security Academy Vice-Dean Prof. Dr. Aurelija Pūraitė.
Today Europe is facing challenges that did not exist before and were not foreseen by the post-war generation. They were provided with security by a situation where there was no war.
"Of course, in order for the country to be safe, we must protect the borders. Bombs must not fall on our heads, or on our critical infrastructure. The borders of states are not only physical now. We live in a cyber world, so we have to think about cyber security, internal security issues that are related to demographic processes, internal and external migration, economic and social tensions, cultural and religious aspects. There are also ecological, environmental, economic and other issues. Climate change is believed to be the biggest and most dynamic threat to human security in the near future. As a result, illegal migration will increase, and the need to accumulate resources to regulate these flows and receive migrants will increase," Prof. Pūraitė said speaking about the broader concept of security and the various threats we should prepare for.
A Holistic View of Threats
The international scientific monograph, "Europe Alone. Small State Security without the United States" details this new, holistic view of security and also the perspectives of security of small European countries in the future, when U.S. resources may not be enough to ensure it. The book is co-authored by Prof. Pūraitė, General Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania Assoc. Prof. Vidmantė Giedraitytė and Guest Editor Hamline University Prof. David Schultz (U.S.), who is also a member of the MRU Justice Research LAB.
The idea to write such a book arose in 2020, when researchers decided to present a different view of security of a country like Lithuania. “It was obvious that the situation both in Europe and world is reaching a climax point and there are new security challenges coming into play that are not much discussed within the circles of Lithuanian academics. Without a doubt, some analysts, experts and researchers discussed one or another relevant security topic for Lithuania, especially related to the militaristic geopolitics carried out by Russia,” said the Vice-Dean. But there was a lack of a systemic, holistic approach, newly reflected in the concept of security, she added.
The book was presented publicly last year and published by the prestigious academic publishing house, “Rowman & Littlefield.” Usually academic publishers require payment from educational institutions, but in this case the publisher found the book so interesting that it bought the publishing rights and plans to distribute the book worldwide. The book attracted a great deal of interest in U.S. higher educational institutions.
How Will it Be Without the U.S.?
As the title of the book indicates, one of the big questions is whether and how European countries, especially small ones, can ensure national security without the United States. According to Prof. Pūraitė, the topic of the role of the U.S. became especially relevant when Donald Trump was elected as U.S. President. Trump began to question what everyone in Europe since 1945 took for granted - the presence of the U.S. as a guarantor of European security.
“President Trump's comments about NATO or the Paris Accords challenged this notion. We need to think about the fact that it was not only President Trump who could have caused the changes - the military, economic and political situation of the United States is very different now than it was in 1991 or 1945. Therefore, Europe, especially small states, must think both about security with the United States and what will happen if this country is no longer a reliable partner. After all, even at the beginning of the war in Ukraine, we could not be completely sure that the position of the United States would be the same as it is now, and whether the United States would help Ukraine with weapons, provide financial and economic support. After all, even now we are not sure whether U.S. support will be sufficient and last as long as it will be needed to achieve victory. Keep in mind that U.S. President Joe Biden at some point claimed that he was not going to go to war or send troops. These circumstances do not allow us to forget the discussion about what will happen next if, for example, Donald Trump is re-elected, although such a possibility is very small. Or what if the economic situation changes even more in 5-10 years? Russia's invasion of Ukraine raises questions, how do countries like Lithuania ensure that they will be safe?"
To Be Secure We All Must Make an Effort
Prof. Pūraitė points out that the pursuit of security in a small society must become a way of life for individuals and groups. We can also see this in the war in Ukraine: without the synergy of government, society and the army, a real fight for freedom is impossible.
"I would mention that the internal challenge is the preparation of society, its education in various aspects of security, because now it is clear that Lithuania has already proved to the world, especially Europe, that it was right about Russia's energy challenges. So right now we feel a little bit stronger in the international field, but in terms of the internal narrative, it's clear that we need to invest more in educating our public and perhaps thinking about a really good public outreach strategy. Without a strong society with the same values, it will be very difficult to explain to your people why you have to fight and why you have to suffer through a cold winter. If there isn’t a strong society, nobody from the country will help win the fight for independence. Considering the context of the current war in Ukraine, it is clear that society must be prepared to defend its values and society’s role ensuring the security of a small country is essential. In general, small states that are at the crossroads of civilizations can only prosper when both individual segments of their societies and the states themselves are united and form a sustainable democratic union,” said Prof. Pūraitė.
Source: weekly magazine Savaitė