The end of the Cold War and the last decade of the twentieth century brought cardinal changes to the European and global security situation. The collapse of the Warsaw Pact and the disintegration of the Soviet Union put an end to the bipolar world model, and its related perception of the main challenges and tasks of security policy. The new era brought rapid changes from an authoritarian and state-controlled economy to democracy and the free market to a number of European and Central Asian countries.
A simultaneous side effect of these changes in some of these countries was a flare-up of ethnic and territorial conflicts, a weakening of state power and control, and a failure to prevent the escalation of organised crime. The western political, economic and cultural benefits began to take root in the new global environment, which caused backlash from the political powers who found it difficult to accept these changes. In a number of countries, the mood of the socially dissatisfied strata of the population moved towards social, national or religious radicalism. Accordingly, issues which had been suppressed in the bipolar world arrangement came to the forefront in international relations.
The possibility of conventional threat in Europe in the early years of the 21st century is low, and the emergence of classical military conflicts among states is hardly possible. The present new threats to national and individual security are rooted in the inadequate socio-economic development of large regions, intensified by the spread of radical ideologies, and, in many countries, by a weak state power which permits groups of extremists to spread terrorism on a global scale.
The rapidly spreading globalisation has made countries increasingly interdependent due to various economic, social and ecological processes and, consequently, mutual dependence in the field of security has substantially increased.
A significant potential threat is posed by issues related to the administration, circulation and use of energy resources. The world population and production volumes are growing rapidly, thereby increasing energy consumption. An intense competition for the use of the dwindling resources of natural fuel is evident among countries and regions, while, on the other hand, the use of these resources continues to have an increasingly negative impact on ecology.
Due to the process of globalisation and the development of information technologies, the community and the state are being increasingly affected by threats to information technologies or the so-called cyber threat.
Contemporary modern democracies no longer relate the security of their countries to individual capabilities only: they pay major attention to collective approach in dealing with security issues. Bilateral and multilateral security co-operation and the development of international security organisations are on the rise. The awareness that threats to security can come from geographically remote regions has increased readiness to engage in regulating crises and conflicts far beyond the borders of the home country.
Confronting the new threats requires a complex approach: military force alone can resolve but a minor part of the problem. In order to safeguard national and international security, it is important that the community of countries sharing common values and having a similar view of the global situation takes concerted actions that include political, economic, and diplomatic, as well as military means, namely, follows a comprehensive approach.
Latvia, like any other contemporary democracy, is affected by threats that globalisation carries, and therefore Latvia’s security policy is rooted in multilateral co-operation and membership in the EU and NATO - international organisations formed by democratic states.
