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o assume an ever-vigilant position. With the arrival of the
unprecedented forces of globalisation, especially after the end of the
Cold War, this role of the state as security provider is said tobe on the
decline. Furthermore, after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on
the US, arguments have emerged that the territorially-organised state
with traditional military instruments hasproved to be incapable of
facing the threats posed by transnational terrorism, created by extremist
ideologies and propagated through global networks.
2
In this article, we investigate the impact ofglobalisation on the
pursuit of security in the contemporary era. In particular, we examine
four core areas where diverse globalisation theorists claim that
globalisation has affected securitypractices. These are: 1) the frequency
of interstate wars; 2) the level of global military spending and the size of
armed forces worldwide; 3) the participation of multilateral security
providinginstitutions and international non-governmental
organisations (INGOs) in international security activities; and, 4) the
challenge of global terrorism. We consider the extent to which changes
have,indeed, occurred in these areas and whether these changes
represent a significant departure from the pursuit of security in previous
eras. In addition, we consider whether any of the changes we findin
security behaviour have been brought about by globalisation or whether
they are the result of other aspects of the contemporary international
system. Finally, we explore whether any changes thathave occurred
appear to be permanent, or merely transient.
Our investigation of the claims of the diverse globalisation
literature reveals that most of the globalisation school’s
3
expectations____________________
2 Michael T. Klare, ‘Waging Postindustrial Warfare on the Global Battlefield’,
Current History 100 (2001): 433-37; T.V. Paul, ‘The National Security State and
Global...