Actions by state actors likely to lead to escalation of tensions unwanted by all parties
Part of a series on
War
History
Prehistoric
Ancient
Post-classical
Early modern
Pike and shot
napoleonic
Late modern
industrial
fourth-gen
Military
Organization
Command and control
Defense ministry
Army
Navy
Air force
Marines
Coast guard
Space force
Reserves
Regular / Irregular
Ranks
Specialties:
Staff
Engineers
Intelligence
Reconnaissance
Medical
Military police
Land units:
Infantry
Armor
Cavalry
Artillery
Special forces
Signal corps
Naval units:
Warships
Submarines
Aircraft carriers
Landing craft
Auxiliary ship
Air units:
Fighters
Bombers
Command
Close air support
Electronic-warfare
Reconnaissance
Combat systems:
Fire-control system
Fire-control radar
Director (military)
Combat information center
Sonar
Radar
Historical:
Ship gun fire-control
Gun data computer
Torpedo data computer
Development:
Basic training
Military manoeuvrers
Combat training
Battlespace
Aerospace
Air
Airborne
Space
Land
Cold-region
Desert
Jungle
Mountain
Urban
Subterranean
Tunnel
Sea
Amphibious
Blue
Brown
Green
Surface
Underwater
Cyber
Information
Weapons
Air defence
Armor
Artillery
Barrage
Biological
Camouflage
Cavalry
Horses
Air cavalry
Chemical
Combined arms
Conventional
Cyber
Denial
Disinformation
Drone / Robot
Electronic
Infantry
Loitering
Missile
Music
Nuclear
Psychological
Radiological
Unconventional
Tactics
List of military tactics
Aerial
Airlift
Air assault
Airbridge
Airdrop
Battle
Cavalry
Charge
Counterattack
Counterinsurgency
Defeat in detail
Foxhole
Drone
Envelopment
Guerrilla
Morale
Rapid dominance
Siege
Swarm
Screen
Tactical objective
Target saturation
Trench
Withdrawal
Operational
Military operation
Operations research
Blitzkrieg
Expeditionary
Deep operation
Maneuver
Operational manoeuvre group
Raid
Strategy
List of military strategies and concepts
Military campaign
Attrition
Commerce raiding
Counter-offensive
Culminating
Defence in depth
Fabian
Empty fort
Mosaic
Deception
Defensive
Depth
Goal
Naval
Offensive
Scorched earth
Grand strategy
Asymmetric
Blockade
Broken-backed
Class
Cold war
Colonial
Conquest
Containment
Economic
Endemic
Fleet in being
Irregular
Liberation
Limited
Network-centric
New generation
Perpetual
Political
Princely
Proxy
Religious
Resource
Strategic
Succession
Technology
Theater
Total war
World war
Administrative
Branch
Policy
Staff
Training
Service
Sociology
Organization
Area of responsibility
Chain of command
Command and control
Doctrine
Principles of war
Economy of force
Medicine
Engineers
Intelligence
Ranks
Technology and equipment
Personnel
Military recruitment
Conscription
Recruit training
Military specialism
Women in the military
Children in the military
Transgender people and military service
Sexual harassment in the military
Conscientious objector
Counter-recruitment
Logistics
History
Military–industrial complex
Arms industry
Materiel
Supply-chain management
Base
MOB
FOB
Outpost
Science
Power projection
Loss-of-strength gradient
Law
Court-martial
Geneva Conventions
Geneva Protocol
Islamic rules
Justice
Perfidy
Jewish laws on war
Right of conquest
Rules of engagement
Martial law
War crime
Theory
Air supremacy
Command of the sea
Full-spectrum dominance
Overmatch
Unrestricted Warfare
Related
Outline of war
Just war theory
Principles of war
Philosophy of war
War film
Military science fiction
War game
Lanchester's laws
Security dilemma
Tripwire force
Mercenary
War novel
Women in war
War resister
War studies
Anti-war movement
Horses in warfare
Wartime sexual violence
Fifth column
Lists
Battles
Military occupations
Military terms
Operations
Sieges
War crimes
Wars
Weapons
Writers
v
t
e
In international relations, the security dilemma (also referred to as the spiral model) is when the increase in one state's security (such as increasing its military strength) leads other states to fear for their own security (because they do not know if the security-increasing state intends to use its growing military for offensive purposes).[1] Consequently, security-increasing measures can lead to tensions, escalation or conflict with one or more other parties, producing an outcome which no party truly desires; a political instance of the prisoner's dilemma.[2][1][3][4][5]
The security dilemma is particularly intense in situations when (1) it is hard to distinguish offensive weapons from defensive weapons, and (2) offense has the advantage in any conflict over defense.[1] Military technology and geography strongly affect the offense-defense balance.[1]
The term was first coined by the German scholar John H. Herz in a 1950 study.[6] At the same time British historian Herbert Butterfield described the same situation in his History and Human Relations, but referred to it as the "absolute predicament and irreducible dilemma".[7] The security dilemma is a key concept in international relations theory, in particular among realist scholars to explain how security-seeking states can end up in conflict.[5]
^ abcdJervis, Robert (1978). "Cooperation Under the Security Dilemma". World Politics. 30 (2): 167–214. doi:10.2307/2009958. hdl:2027/uc1.31158011478350. ISSN 0043-8871. JSTOR 2009958. S2CID 154923423.
^Herz, John H. (1950). Idealist Internationalism and the Security Dilemma. pp. 157–180.
^Snyder, Glenn H. (1984). "The Security Dilemma in Alliance Politics". World Politics. 36 (4): 461–495. doi:10.2307/2010183. ISSN 0043-8871. JSTOR 2010183. S2CID 154759602.
^Jervis, Robert (1976). Perception and Misperception in International Politics. Princeton University Press. pp. 58–113. ISBN 978-0-691-10049-4.
^ abGlaser, Charles L. (2010). Rational Theory of International Politics. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691143729.
^Herz, J. "Idealist Internationalism and the Security Dilemma", World Politics vol. 2, no. 2 (1950): 171–201, at p. 157
^Roe, Paul (March 1999). "The Intrastate Security Dilemma: Ethnic Conflict as a 'Tragedy'?". Journal of Peace Research. 36 (2): 183–202. doi:10.1177/0022343399036002004. JSTOR 424669. S2CID 110838076.
international relations, the securitydilemma (also referred to as the spiral model) is when the increase in one state's security (such as increasing its military...
Defensive neorealism points towards "structural modifiers," such as the securitydilemma and geography, and elite beliefs and perceptions to explain the outbreak...
Wolfgang Wagner and Steve Wood entitled Inter-democratic Security Institutions and the SecurityDilemma: EU and NATO relations with Russia after the collapse...
International-relations scholars explain arms races in terms of the securitydilemma, engineering spiral models, states with revisionist aims, and deterrence...
Second, a reworking of Michael Mann’s securitydilemma in the Rwandan case produces the "ethnic" securitydilemma: Hutus perceived that the Tutsis were...
prolonged conflict. Another common motivating factor is the existence of a securitydilemma. A nation may use military intervention to install a more favorable...
international system. For example Europe before World War I a Prisoner's dilemma is a situation where two states act in seemingly irrational ways due to...
A dilemma (from Ancient Greek δίλημμα (dílēmma) 'double proposition') is a problem offering two possibilities, neither of which is unambiguously acceptable...
in stopping aggression. Since states look at the world as having a securitydilemma because of the fear of relative gain, a state does not want any state...
balance of power, convoluted and fragmented governance, arms races and securitydilemmas, a cult of the offensive, and military planning. Scholars seeking...
realism holds that said intentions are in the long run subject to the securitydilemma described by thinker John H. Herz. Although realism in the context...
the quest for security, and conflicts can arise from the inability to distinguish defense from offense, which is called the securitydilemma.: 145 Within...
of war War film Military science fiction War game Lanchester's laws Securitydilemma Tripwire force Mercenary War novel Women in war War resister War studies...
desirable or war more costly. Reduce the uncertainty and fear that drives securitydilemma spirals. Prevent or control accidents or the actions of rogue groups...
and security forces, including equivalents such as paramilitary forces, militia, internal troops and police tactical unit, are an internal security service...
balance of power, convoluted and fragmented governance, arms races and securitydilemmas, a cult of the offensive, and military planning. Scholars seeking...
of war War film Military science fiction War game Lanchester's laws Securitydilemma Tripwire force Mercenary War novel Women in war War resister War studies...
neorealism are balance of power theory, balance of threat theory, securitydilemma theory, offense-defense theory, hegemonic stability theory and power...
intentions—on which the whole concept of securitydilemma is grounded. Aggressive great powers' measures to maximize their security threaten others which leads to...
of war War film Military science fiction War game Lanchester's laws Securitydilemma Tripwire force Mercenary War novel Women in war War resister War studies...