Threats Beyond Borders - Assessing Norwegian Societal Security in a Global Environment

The proposed research will assess the recently minted Norwegian conception of societal security (samfunnssikkerhet) in relation to the international understandings of the same concept. The project proposes to first document and analyze Norwegian policy debate on societal security relative to public perceptions of security and insecurity, then survey the relevant documents and pronouncements on societal security among Norway’s central international collaborators (UN, NATO, EU, OSCE). Finally, following the clarification of the conceptual scope of societal security and insecurity in Norway, the project will survey and assess the actual state of societal security in Norway. As a result, by evaluating the Ministry of Defence’s New Strategic Concept in terms of its ambition to ensure societal security in a global environment, the project will draw conclusions about the nature of societal security itself and about the national means available to protect against a globally determined societal challenge.