Peace and security has been and remains a permanent ideal and aspiration, as well as a right and a duty. However, in our fast-paced, interconnected world, peace and security is at risk. While world wars are becoming, it may be hoped, a thing of the past, violence, civil strife and conflict continue to define the lives of millions. Internal conflicts and terrorist attacks demonstrate that the presence of peace and security can never be taken for granted. As an ongoing process of political, economic and cultural negotiation, peace and security requires constant engineering, vigilance and active participation. It implies commitment and a long term vision, and this entails a blend of traditional and contemporary ways of understanding the roots of conflicts, ways of mitigating violence, and paths towards reconciliation and healing.

The principal objective of national security is the protection of the territorial integrity and political sovereignty from external aggression. Technological advances and proliferation of weaponary mean that future wars between states will exact a horrific toll on civilians.