Abstract

Abstract

National Security: Problems, Logic and Its Discipline Construction

LI Wenliang

[Abstract] The concept of national security and the specific national security issues have laid a foundation for the construction of national security theory as well as national security discipline. National security issues are those that have been incorporated into the national security agenda. They pose risks and threats not only to the security status of national interests, core interests in particular, but also to the security capacity for maintaining such security status. The intrinsic logic in national security issues is revealed in two ways: the coexistence of objectivity and subjectivity, which implies both objective existence and subjective perceptions; national security issues are not self-independent but a derivative of other issues. The intrinsic logic in national security issues enables national security discipline to take on its unique disciplinary characteristic, namely “crosscutting extension”. Owing to this distinctive attribute, national security discipline has become an emerging independent discipline with great compatibility, applicability and interdisciplinarity. It is closely related to such fields as politics, economy, society, culture, military, information, ecology, space, meteorology, etc. National security studies, being a first level discipline, should have its second level disciplines like national security theory, national security strategy and policy, national security and rule of law, national security management, national security information research and practice as well as national security and cyberspace security technology. It is not possible to build national security studies as an academic discipline overnight. The construction of it should be carried out in an orderly manner through pilot projects in accordance with the national policies and top-level designs.

[Keywords] national security discipline, crosscutting extension, national security status and capacity, disciplinary construction, disciplinary path

[Author] LI Wenliang, Professor, Doctoral Supervisor, Dean of the Graduate School of the University of International Relations (Beijing, 100091).

Aid Security: An Emerging Issue from the Perspective of Aid Carrier

MAO Weizhun

[Abstract] Foreign aid is a focal issue in the studies of international politics and international political economy. On the one hand, foreign aid, as a kind of special international public goods provided by donor countries, plays a significant role in global governance and international development. On the other hand, foreign aid, being an instrument of foreign policies for a given country, has inherent strategic implications in the arena of global competition. In international politics, foreign aid committed to further development is closely related to security issues. The aid-security nexus has evolved from being generally correlated to being inter-embedded and all the way up to securitization. Security considerations have increasingly affected the process of foreign aid and exerted a dramatic impact on the aid carrier linking together the donor and recipient countries. In view of the securitization factor in foreign aid, this paper aims to study the complexity and developing trend of the aid-security nexus, examine the aid carrier from a security perspective and finally advance the conceptual framework of “aid security”. This framework attempts to explore diversified security threats and identify various risk sources facing financial resources, human resources and institutional resources in the aid process from different perspectives like international structural transformation, relations between donors and recipients, and the domestic politics of relevant countries. Therefore, aid security can be guaranteed through technical conditionality and transparency, budget management, security personnel training programs as well as reforms of the global aid system.

[Keywords] foreign aid, securitization, aid security, aid carrier, development and security

[Author] MAO Weizhun, Associate Professor at the School of Government, Nanjing University; Research Fellow at the Centre for Asia-Pacific Development Studies, Nanjing University (Nanjing, 210023).

Political Security and Governance Dilemma of Weak States in the International Context

XUE Liang and ZHENG Xianwu

[Abstract] Political security in the international context is increasingly presenting a “multi-flow model” featuring diversification and interconnectivity with national sovereignty at its core. Against the backdrop of globalization, the overall influence exerted by weak states over international security is on the rise. Given that the political security dynamics of weak states are closely linked to the pursuit of regime security as well as its tensions with public security, regime security, aiming at “freeing the ruling elites and their supporting mechanisms from threats mainly from within”, has become a label for weak states’ political security. The core logic in weak states’ political security is formed in their response to the “governance dilemma in political security” featuring the profound contradictions between short-term pursuit of regime security and long-term national construction. The handling of this dilemma is inseparable from the intelligent integration of regime security with human security. Since this dilemma will persist for a long time, the theoretical exploration of the political security of weak states will witness the evolution of such issues as forging alliances among weak states and security regionalism. A penetrating understanding will be gained by taking into consideration the regime security patterns as well as relevant domestic and foreign policies adopted by weak states. More efforts will be made to explore such issues as the constant pursuit of “soft power” by weak states to enhance their political security and the impetus given to the promotion of specific national security concepts as required by political security of weak states.

[Keywords] political security, weak states, governance dilemma, multiple value

[Authors] XUE Liang, Master Student, Institute of International Relations, Nanjing University; ZHENG Xianwu, Professor, Institute of International Relations, Nanjing University (Nanjing, 210023).

Trend Anxiety and Conflict Readiness: Defensive Offensiveness in Regional Dominance Competition

JIANG Peng

[Abstract] The competition for dominance within a regional security complex often leads to wars among great powers. Viewed from a rational perspective, countries that tend to take the initiative in starting wars for dominance are equipped with either “trend advantage” or “strength advantage”. However, this argument fails to explain why some countries with neither of these two advantages are still inclined to launch wars for dominance against “more powerful and trend-dominant” countries. The findings of this study suggest that “trend anxiety” can not only explain the tendency of defensive offensiveness by the established power towards the rising power as often mentioned by traditional theories but also provide adequate explanation for the scenario in which the rising power, after its upward trajectory has been successfully reversed by the established power, may fall back on defensive offensiveness. Bypassing the traditional path of power structure analysis, this paper has introduced the concept of “trend anxiety” from strategic psychology and proceeded to construct a broad theory of defensive offensiveness. This approach will help offer more explanatory and predictive power as to which party, the established country or the rising country, will display more offensive intents in the competition for regional dominance. Meanwhile, the traditional theories contend that a hegemonic power tends to support regional sub-powers in order to achieve the goal of restraining the regional power who enjoys a competitive advantage. From the dynamic perspective concerning the evolution of strategic potential energy, the hegemonic country does not always tend to support regional sub-powers in the competition for regional dominance, but are more inclined to lend support to regional powers with “trend inferiority” or “high strategic match”, even if these powers possess certain advantages.

[Keywords] trend anxiety, strategic psychology, power shift, great power strategy, Sino-US relations

[Author] JIANG Peng, Associate Professor, School of International Relations, Sun Yat-Sen University; Research Fellow, Institute of International Studies, Shandong University (Zhuhai, 519000).

The Age of Biosecurity: New Biotechnology Revolution and National Biosecurity Governance

WANG Xiaoli

[Abstract] Scientific and technological progress has significantly improved human abilities to control natural biological hazards. While inducing new forms of biological hazards, it has also contributed to the untraceability of biosecurity objects, the diversity of biosecurity subjects and the complexity of evolutionary mechanism of biosecurity hazards. To a large extent, biosecurity is characterized by those non-conventional features of non-traditional security issues. As biotechnology and biosecurity have been playing an increasingly significant role in promoting the continuing development of human community, the 21st century will usher in the age of biosecurity. A new round of biotechnological advances and the ensuing biosecurity issues have gradually infiltrated into the security conceptions of human beings and directly tied to the endogenous crises or challenges faced by modern civilization. To comprehensively upgrade and optimize the biosecurity capabilities and governance is not only a strategic choice for countries all around the world but also a new exploration effort made not only in the scientific and technological field but also on the political arena.

[Keywords] biotechnology revolution, biosecurity hazard forms, national security, security governance

[Author] WANG Xiaoli, Associate Research Fellow, Institute Pasteur Shanghai, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Honorary Research Fellow, Techxcope Think Tank (Shanghai, 200031).

Security Threats Associated with the Cutting-edge Biotechnology: Responses and Prospects

XUE Yang and YU Hanzhi

[Abstract] The cutting-edge biotechnology represented by gene editing, gene drive and synthetic biology is developing rapidly. It acts as a double-edged sword, bringing benefits to human development in many fields such as medical treatment and agriculture while posing serious threats to national security and global biosecurity. Against this backdrop, world powers need to pay special attention to those common problems while handling the security threats associated with the cutting-edge biotechnology. First, it is difficult to coordinate the dual goals of promoting technological development and safeguarding technological security. Second, evolution of the legal system lags well behind the unknown technological security threats. Third, there exists a dilemma between the regulatory demand for multi-sector cooperation and the division of authority. Fourth, the democratic review mechanism engaged by interested parties needs to be further strengthened. Since China’s cutting-edge biotechnology is at the critical development stage with a shift from “running behind others” to “running side by side with others” and even “being a pace setter” in some fields, it is imperative for China to make timely adjustments in its efforts to promote and, at the same time, regulate the cutting-edge biotechnology. A proper assessment of the latest development of science and technology should be made and a meaningful forward-looking plan should be developed on the basis of the assessment. Guided by the forthcoming National Biosecurity Law, the institutional mechanisms regarding biotechnological security will be strengthened and the relevant legal system will be improved as well. Under the leading role of the government, interested parties from all walks of life will actively participate in this undertaking. Only in this way can the cutting-edge biotechnology be geared to bringing more benefits to the public.

[Keywords] gene editing, gene drive, synthetic biotechnology, biotechnology security, biological weapons, bioterrorism, security of biological laboratory

[Authors] XUE Yang, Associate Professor of Law School, Tianjin University; Research Fellow, Center for Biosafety Research and Strategy of Tianjin University (Tianjin, 300072); YU Hanzhi, Research Fellow, Doctoral Supervisor and Professor, Public Affairs School, Zhejiang University (Hangzhou, 310058).

（本期英文编辑：张国帅 高静）