Citation

Fischer D. J. Peace Res. 1982; 19(3): 205-225.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1982, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/002234338201900301

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The notion of'military strength' must be divided into two different concepts. One is offensive power, the ability to inflict harm on others or to exert threats. This stimulates the arms race and is detrimental to international security. The other is defensive power, invulnerability, the ability to resist harm intended by others, which strengthens international security. This paper classifies various measures, both military and non-military, intended to protect national security, along the offensive-defensive dimension. Among the defensive measures considered is the potential for self-sufficiency in vital sectors of the economy, such as food and energy, during an emergency, as an alternative to reliance on obtaining such supplies from abroad, if necessary by force. It is then examined to what extent the Swiss concept of general defense corresponds to a desirable model. Ways are proposed in which a country can contribute to international peace, without risking its security through unilateral disarmament, through a form of 'transarmament', a shift to purely defensive measures, which do not reduce the security of others, but may indeed strengthen it as well.