ABSTRACT
The perception of the Cold War nuclear era in the West was of a clear and present threat from the Soviet Union that had to be matched by the United States and its allies. The Cold War superimposed on the international security agenda a political and conceptual framework that simplified most issues, while magnifying some and obscuring others. During this period, almost every Western government defined national security in excessively narrow, military terms. That meant there was an enduring acceptance of the need for a balance of terror, with mutually assured destruction ensuring a stable international system. The end of the Cold War has allowed for burgeoning of the security agenda to include a different set of threats and dangers, not really new but previously kept outside the Cold War context. These new threats are again global in scope, persistent in nature, and potent in their implications (Lynn-Jones and Miller 1995: 3).
