The Concept of Security and Its Transformations in International Relations

Abstract

Security studies have occupied a significant space in scientific research and scholarship since the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 up to the present day. However, their emergence as a distinct field became particularly evident after World War II and the onset of the so-called "Cold War."

Political and strategic scholars have long debated the precise definition of "security," and its conceptualization has evolved and diversified in both analysis and interpretation, reflecting the varying perspectives of researchers across different eras. Each period carries its unique context, and each geographical setting its boundaries—factors that have shaped the diversity of ideas and theories examining the concept of security. These range from the philosophical foundations of rationalist thought in the Realist school, to the idealist frameworks of Liberalism, and finally to the critical approaches of contemporary discourses.