Abstract
In the post Cold-War era, the improved relations between and among major powers have been achieved, thus enabling states of the world to build and benefit from an overall ease of international tension. Coupled with the state of increased economic and social interdependence, the military dimension in the national security perception has been reduced to a great extent. This situation as a result helps to provide new perspectives on fundamental questions related to national security and strategy to ensure it.
National security, according to the established international relations theoretical approaches, relate to the survival of the states existing in the anarchical environment of international politics that allow continuous wars and conflicts. Yet, as it has been argued, the nature of international politics in the Third World has more to do with the survival of the ruling regimes that act in the name of their countries. The regime survival is of greater significance to the national leaders in the context in which fundamental economic and political changes always create new forces challenging the ruling regimes.
The case of Vietnam since 1986 is not an exception. The way the policy makers identify security challenges to the country has been influenced by the perceived challenges and threats to the ruling regime. As a result, the policy to cope with them can become very different from those influenced by the logics of state survival. To be more specific, foreign and defense policies have become more comprehensive and cooperative, rather than exclusive and competitive.
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