Traditional Security Issues

Traditional security issues are about the threats against the essential values of the state, territorial integrity, and political sovereignty. Means, which are also important in defining traditional security, consist of weapons, armaments systems, and the military, but diplomatic means like pacts and alliances aimed at building special relations between states for security purposes are also means of traditional security. All such means, as well as the essence of traditional security, are constantly changing under the impact of technological innovation, new ideas, and political evolution. Today, change in three areas shapes the security agenda of states like China and international organizations like the European Union (EU). First, the security of the states is within the competence of the primary institution of the world, the United Nations (UN), which promotes multilateralism as a form of collective security protection. In the past 30 years, recourse to multilateral peace operations has been increasing, and, major states like China, and the most important international organizations, like the EU, have been directly involved in the advancement of the principles, rules, and mechanisms of multilateralism. Second, a new form of cooperation is gaining momentum at the regional level, complementing and gradually overcoming the tried and tested form of military alliances.