| Abstract [eng] |
The concept of security developed, and certain emphases changed in the last two decades. A complex perception of security began to prevail. The main point of view from the long-dominant state-centrist began to descend to the level of society or even the individual. Security has been understood not only as the protection of citizens' lives but also as an assurance of the quality of life by preventing such threats as: legal/property inequality, human rights violations, discrimination of individual groups, insufficient political representation, etc. i.e. Moreover, it has been observed that in modern conflict the primary target is no longer the state and its sovereignty or territory but society itself: the aim is to destroy its integrity and organic ties with the state, attempts are made to question or even transform identity, and increase the confrontation between different members/groups of society. In this context, the concept of social security has gained new relevance. It has become the responsibility of the state to protect the country not only from military, but also from other threats and crises directly related to society, and in responding to them, the typical security features of small states (limited resources and exposure to external shocks) remain relevant. As a result, in the context of the national security strategies of small states, there is a fundamental uncertainty regarding the positioning of societal security: the boundaries between the needs of the state and societal security become unclear and the setting of priorities is problematic. The dissertation examines how NATO's small states conceptualize societal security. The dissertation consists of two main parts. First, the concept of social security is analysed: its origins, development, and problems. The relevance of societal security for small states is also revealed and a possible societal security evaluation/analysis model is presented. The results of the research based on qualitative content analysis are presented in the second part of the work, where the types of societal security of small states, their logic and features are discussed through selected cases. The study reveals that in the context of NATO's small states, three types of societal security form emerge: societal security as the basis of security policy, societal security subordinated to the needs of the state, and functionalist societal security. |
