ABSTRACT
This chapter advances a conceptualisation of security based on several levels of abstraction. At generic level, security is defined as the protection and enhancement of values that the authoritative decision makers deem vital for the survival and well-being of a community. Since achieving independence in 1947, Pakistan has judged India its primary enemy. Pakistan's dilemma is how to strengthen its security and modernise its armed forces and yet be able to continue with its development programmes. Pakistan's relations with the Soviet Union have undergone several changes since the Soviet Union accorded official recognition to Pakistan in 1948. The Soviets had long been interested in building a port at Gwadar on the Baluchistan coast, and in a north-south route leading to it, but in the 1960s they cancelled the idea due to Indian pressure. Since Pakistan's inception as an independent state in 1947, its relations with Afghanistan had been characterised by mutual antagonism and they had never really enjoyed friendly relations.
