Initially an attribute of the state, carrying a single meaning, namely the lack of military conflict, the notion of “security” has evolved in time from its traditional significance, where the emphasis was on the military dimension, to the conflict arising among countries and threats against state borders, up to the modern sense, where several other dimensions, namely economic, social, political, environmental, are taken into consideration. The problematic concerning security is not to be mistaken with the state’s normal functioning along these dimensions, but it exclusively refers to those threats, which, within the limits of the above-mentioned dimensions, jeopardize the existence of the state itself. The connections between economy and security, in the context of a multicultural international background, generates important, significant aspects. The complexity of economic security comes from the implications of a multitude of processes and economic, social and financial phenomena, and as a result of globalization, seen both as a process, as well as a phenomenon, which interacts systematically and continuously on national economy. Its dynamics owes to the frantic rhythm of economic processes and phenomena, which appear at national and global levels alike.economic security; globalization; economic dimension of security; inflation; unemployment;

Rotaru, Marius-Petre

English

Research Papers in Economics

 
Pagina 1 din 6 
 
 
 
ECONOMIC SECURITY 
~ Organic Dimension of National Security ~ 
 
 
 
Initially an attribute of the state, carrying a single meaning, namely the lack 
of military conflict, the notion of “security” has evolved in time from its traditional 
significance, where the emphasis was on the military dimension, to the conflict 
arising among countries and threats against state borders, up to the modern sense, 
where several other dimensions, namely economic, social, political, environmental, 
are taken into consideration. The problematic concerning security is not to be 
mistaken with the state’s normal functioning along these dimensions, but it 
exclusively refers to those threats, which, within the limits of the above-mentioned 
dimensions, jeopardize the existence of the state itself. The connections between 
economy and security, in the context of a multicultural international background, 
generates important, significant aspects. 
The complexity of economic security comes from the implications of a 
multitude of processes and economic, social and financial phenomena, and as a 
result of globalization, seen both as a process, as well as a phenomenon, which 
interacts systematically and continuously on national economy. Its dynamics owes to 
the frantic rhythm of economic processes and phenomena, which appear at national 
and global levels alike.  
 
Key-words: economic security, globalization, economic dimension of 
security, inflation, unemployment. 
 
 
 
From the plenary point of view of national security, approached 
systematically in sense and meaning, the economic security represents a complex 
concept, which, essentially, refers to the ability of a state, of a society, to timely, 
cursively, plentifully and effectively ensure the material resources, which are needed 
by the other dimensions of national security, in order to reach their ultimate level of 
their operational preservation. If applicably defined, the most sensitive dimension of 
national security represents the organic pillar of the other components of the 
fundamental preservation of the existence of the Romanian state, in case of threats to 
its fundaments, territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty, when the 
economic security ensures not only the safeguarding of resources for the state and 
national vitality, but also the development potential, under estrangement 
circumstances for sovereignty and independence. In the procedural context of 
globalization, the credible safeguard of economic security is even more difficult as 
the dominant effect of interdependencies imposes servitudes, to which not any 
economic system is able to resist, keeping with its stipulated national interests. 
From the perspective of this reality, it can be asserted that the economic 
field of national security shares a dependence relation with the global economic 
procession, and implicitly, this emphasizes a certain degree of dependence of the 
national security to the international economic system. Under these circumstances, it becomes obvious the virtues of the national economic security consist exactly of its 
ability and potential to ensure the best resource needs, in order to maintain the 
vitality of the other systemic fields. This explains why, during the management 
process of the national economic society, the politicians and governmental 
representatives with decision power take always into account the following: 
cultivating a certain ability to maintain independent capabilities of military 
production within a global market; the likelihood of using economic dependence on 
the global market in order to reach some political purposes; the possibility that the 
evolutions on the global market may lead to the increasing of the economic 
inequalities among states; the risk the economic globalization may lead to the 
diminishing of state economic functions, hence generate vicious effects, such as 
subterranean economies, illegal trade, technology traffic, environment altering; 
chances the global economy might enter a crisis, due to a mildly generalized political 
leadership, to the decline of international institutions, to certain uninspired 
protectionist reactions, or to the financial instability. 
From the operational perspective, generally speaking, the economic 
dimension of national security can be projected, analysed, evaluated and designed or 
remodelled in a systemic manner, taking into account such indicators as: the state 
capability to manage issues like inflation, unemployment, quality of life, unhinged 
balance of payments, lack of economic opportunities, increased level of 
protectionism, dependence on foreign natural resources, and so on: the states’ 
ability to economically preserve the independence of military production, thus 
reflecting the relation between the economic and the military power; the continuous 
knowledge of relationship intimacies between those who win and those who lose on 
the global market, aiming to analytically emphasize the conditions which induce the 
deepening of economic inequities; the proliferation of illegal trafficking with 
humans, drugs, light weapons, mass-destruction weapons, and so on. Nowadays, 
without getting into a profile specific analysis, it can be assessed as the most 
important issue, as regarding the economic dimension of security, the persistent and 
widespread poverty, as attested in significant countries within the global area. 
The economic security is ultimately the direct consequence of the state 
economic power, being caused by such factors as: size of the country, stability of the 
political system, relationships with the international economic environment and the 
institutionalization of external contacts, the ability to institutionally and socially 
adapt to the changes occurring in the internal and external conditions, and so on. 
It appears as a truism to assert that the economic power, under functioning 
parameters of positively preserving national security, generates security, while its 
organic flaws lead to uncertainty, anxiety and insecurity. Nevertheless, generically, 
security does not refer only to a protection system against threats, dangers or hazard 
risks, as insecurity cannot be simply reduced to the lack of such a protection system. 
Security represents a significant system and process function, a systems’ functioning 
condition, as well as maintaining a dynamic equilibrium, needed to cohabit in a 
complex environment, continuously changing, tensed, competitive, undergoing 
intricate evolutions, most often unpredictable. In the context of this approach, one 
can perform a certain difference, conceptually modified, between economic security 
and economic dimension of security. The first concept relates to the functioning of an 
economy, to the economic security of the individual, family, community, state, of 
financial and economic conditions for life; the second concept refers to the 
functioning, in the quantum of the specificities for organizing and running the 
society, of the social and political systems, of the state, public institutions, national 
Page 2 of 6 organizations and authorities, and, as part of these, international alliances and 
coalitions, and so on. In essence, economic security aims at ensuring the conditions 
for maintaining the economic activity between normal parameters, as well as 
counteracting the various types of attacks, out of which the most important are the 
following: financial fraud, strategic dependence, cyber-infractions, industrial 
espionage, corruption, subterranean economy. At the same time, we can talk about 
the territorial economic security, understood as a protection system for resources, 
markets, enterprises, jobs, in the same way we can talk about economic security in 
terms of preserving national strategic assets, namely those sectors of strategic 
importance, such as major infrastructure elements, energy, military industry and 
information technology.  
In the view of this approach, it is important to add that some states are less 
preoccupied with such a protectionism of economic security, while others have never 
given up – nor have the intend to do so – their levers of economic security, in order 
to protect, defend and preserve crucial economic infrastructure elements, private 
enterprises, resources and markets, and so on. On the other hand, the economic 
security dimension is proved by the fact that without a strong modern economy, there 
does not exist, or there cannot truly exist, safety, prosperity and stability, neither at 
individual or family level, nor at state, or international community level. Security and 
defence represent those components which put into practice means of fulfilling vital 
interests for states and communities. Economy and political neo-liberal currents 
existing in some states do not prejudice, or they fail to succeed in doing so, or to 
significantly diminish the security or the defence concepts. Even in those states 
where they intensively cultivate the market economy philosophy, namely freedom of 
action for certain economic factors related to economic dynamics, economic 
measures to secure, protect and defend the enterprises’ interests, as national interests 
are the most drastic. Many times, the insistence involved in suggesting or imposing 
means of coming out of Keynesianism, more or less direct, that is eliminating any 
form of state interference in economy, does not refer to the natural tendencies to 
make the economy more dynamic, to implement some new modern and effective 
methods for economic growth, by rapidly adapting to the real and concrete economic 
situation, but this insistence represents simply another facet – somewhat more subtle 
– of economic war. Several national economies have also faced disaster due to 
economy fractioning and to the introduction of economic chaos, under the form of 
the necessity to liberate economy. The fall of a national economy leads to extremely 
grave effects, on all fields, starting with the economic security of the individual and 
its family, and continuing with the diminishing of the economic security of the state, 
its potential to act and react in case of conflict, and magnifying the political, 
economical, social and military vulnerabilities of that specific state. 
As it has been argued above, there is no security if there is no power. And 
there lacks any kind of power if there is no economic power. The economy 
represents a generating factor of power and well-being. Even if security, from the 
perspective of national definition and approach, consists of other components, also 
extremely important, like demographic potential, systems of values (that is a certain 
culture, including a security and defence culture, a culture of alliances and 
coalitions), diplomatic potential, and others, economy has always been present as a 
power resistance structure, as an architecture generating power, security and stability. 
An economically powerful state is a stable state, affording political and 
strategic initiatives, always to be credited and obeyed. This is the case of Japan, 
which, practically, does not have almost any natural resources (90% of raw material 
Page 3 of 6 is imported), of Switzerland, located in an area without resources, as is the case for 
other countries as well. In conclusion, it can be stated the security economic 
dimension fits the pattern of being synergic and essential, as it is surrounded by and 
integrates in the same power concept all the other dimensions - human, cultural, 
social, informational, military -, lending them with force and consistency. Among the 
main characteristics of the security economic dimension, actually of economic 
security, and, like it or not, implicitly, of defence, are to be found the following 
pieces of evidence: it is a generating factor of material and financial resources; it 
represents a support for all types of security (economic, financial, individual, 
collective, institutional, governmental;, and so on); it is a dissuasive factor for 
intrinsic and indirect security; it encompasses an architecture both stable in its 
resistance structure, and dynamic and complex in its evolution; it represents a 
powerful globalization factor (together with the information), which, in future, will 
probably diminish the disputes among states, thus generating other types of 
relationships; it stands as the foundation pillar for strategic partnerships, alliances 
and coalitions; it changes gradually from central material and financial pillar of the 
state of right into a new configuration, as support for cooperation among states of 
right, and for improving their relationships. 
 All these characteristics, to which others may be added, show how 
economy, without diminishing its powerful role of generator and support of the 
state’s power, and, implicitly, of the national security systems, passes on to a new 
dimension, where the power supports are getting more international and global. For 
now, this feature of internationalization is discontinuous and fractured, but there 
prefigures already a reconfiguration, not quite comforting, of new pillars and new 
power areas, implicitly of economic power. 
It must be emphasized that the security problematic, including economic 
security, does not mix into the normal functioning of the state in these dimensions, 
but it solely refers to the threats which, through the above-mentioned dimensions, 
endanger the existence of the state itself. As for us, concretely speaking, the 
operational optimization of the economic dimension of the national security can 
essentially take form through the agency of: the consolidation of macroeconomic 
stability and implementation of coherent fiscal policies, while promoting a 
stimulating, firm, constructive type of law-making system; improvement of business 
environment; bureaucracy diminishing; favourable laws for investors and constant 
stimulation of economic growth, through notable production, as required by the 
market; encouraging the small and medium sized enterprises through effective laws; 
strategic continuation of long-lasting restructuring and modernization of the national 
economic system; promoting applicable economic policies, in accordance with the 
market’s ever changing social needs and requirements; development of international 
economic relations, focused on active, stimulating, mutually beneficial forms; 
reinforcement of the banking and insurance system, as well as control over capital 
markets, where major actors from the social environment are involved; agricultural 
and forestry rebirth, as significant fields of state’s economic power; optimal territory 
planning and rehabilitation of transport infrastructure; widespread promotion, within 
all fields of the economic spectrum of the social system, of new technologies, 
essential for the society’s post-modern development; attracting significant foreign 
investments, mainly those belonging to the united European and North-Atlantic 
areas, similar to the collective security systems to which Romania is a member; 
development of activities subordinated to internal trade, and encouraging consumer 
protection, and, none the least, guaranteeing a free, fair, honest competitive system. 
Page 4 of 6 The theoretical approach incorporated in this issue highlights the essential 
role, if not vital, of the economic security, in the frame of the national security 
dynamic complex, standing for a reality which allows us to consider economic 
security as the  
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Page 6 of 6 

Economic Security - Organic Dimension of National Security

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