Armed Conflicts in the National Security Strategy 2013

Abstract

The Spanish National Security Strategy 2013 considers armed conflicts as one of the main risks or threats that Spain has to confront. This is an example of continuity with the 2011 Spanish Security Strategy, the first document of its kind adopted in Spain, which also included armed conflicts and their consequences as one of the threats to the Spanish security. However, the perspectives used by the two strategic documents to analyze armed conflicts are very different, as are the proposed Lines of Action to face them. The approach to armed conflicts as security threat is radically different in the two National Security Strategies adopted in Spain to date. In theory, both texts share a "comprehensive" and multidimensional view of security. In practice, when dealing with armed conflicts, the National Security Strategy 2013 is much more Defense-focused than the previous one. This article analyzes the characteristics of today's armed conflicts, followed by a study of the Spanish strategic context, as a starting point to examine whether the National Security Strategy 2013 reflects the current international environment or not. The article also includes a critical analysis of the perspective employed by the National Security Strategy 2013 when addressing armed conflicts, comparing it with the different approach that was used in the Spanish Security Strategy 2011.