The Concept of Security in International Relations

The article focuses on the development of thinking about security from its traditional origins to the newer perspectives which have emerged in the post-Cold War period. it is shown that approaches to the study of security in international relations literature have changed significantly from the days when realist views were both preeminent and unchallenged. Accordingly, there is now much more healtier and vibrant debate about international security than existed during the Cold War period. Even though realism has been justifiably challenged in recent years and the alternative approaches, especially constructivism, compose an important part of the contemporary discourse on international security, realism remains a powerful approach to both the study and the practice of international relations.