ABSTRACT
Security has always been an instinctive goal for individual as well as for nations, but its basic meaning has undergone a complex evolution from the original concept of simple physical survival to a broader significance implying the defence of a national way of life, the free-auto-determination and the sovereign independence of single human societies. In present day's international environment, people may distinguish three basic degrees of security, too little security, too much or just enough. Theoretically, there are only three possible ways of pursuing security in present day's nuclear world: relying on one’s own forces; through some sort of alliance with a superpower; and by an internationally guaranteed the neutralization. The difficult relationship between status quo and security in Europe requires very careful handling; any long-range possibility of increasing the security of the continent depends first of all on safeguarding the present strategic status quo.
