The nexus between a national security strategy and foreign policy: An Integrated Framework for state security and international engagement for African states
Abstract
The increasingly complex and transnational nature of contemporary security threats has reinforced the need for greater coherence between National Security Strategy (NSS) and foreign policy.
This paper examines the nexus between these two strategic instruments within the African context, arguing that they are mutually reinforcing mechanisms for safeguarding national interests, promoting regional stability and advancing sustainable development.
Drawing on the theoretical perspectives of Realism, Liberal Institutionalism, Human Security Theory and the Comprehensive Security Approach, the paper demonstrates that while the NSS provides the strategic framework for identifying national interests, assessing threats and coordinating the instruments of national power, foreign policy operationalises these objectives through diplomacy, defence diplomacy, economic engagement, intelligence cooperation and regional integration.
Using examples from African states, the article highlights how integrated security and foreign policy frameworks enhance resilience against terrorism, organised crime, cyber threats, climate change and other emerging security challenges. It also examines the institutional and governance constraints that undermine policy coherence, including fragmented coordination, resource limitations and evolving multidimensional threats.
The paper concludes that African states should adopt coherent, people-centred National Security Strategies that are closely aligned with foreign policy and national development agendas. Such an integrated approach will strengthen strategic coordination,
improve regional cooperation and enhance the capacity of African states to promote sustainable peace,
security and development in an increasingly interconnected global environment.
INTRODUCTION
The contemporary security landscape consists of complex interrelated threats that transcend national boundaries. Terrorism, violent extremism, cybercrime, organised crime, climate change, pandemics, maritime insecurity and geopolitical competition among others have blurred the line between domestic and external security.
Hence, it has become difficult for nation-states to secure their national interests through military means or domestic policies alone.
Therefore, national security is no longer a state-centric concept but involves the application of political, diplomatic, economic, intelligence and military instruments in a strategic approach.
At the heart of such an approach lie National Security Strategy (NSS) and foreign policy.
NSS offers the overall strategic orientation by establishing national interests, assessing threats and risks and coordinating national power instruments to ensure national sovereignty, territorial integrity and constitutional order. On the other hand, foreign policy promotes national interests abroad through diplomacy, security/defence cooperation, economic engagement, intelligence collaboration and international alliances.
Thus, it is obvious the two policy instruments complement each other in promoting national security and resilience.
Such a complementation is even more crucial in Africa. Many contemporary security threats in Africa are transnational and often relate to
poor governance and development. The spread of violent extremism in the Sahel region, unconstitutional power transfers, maritime
insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea, cyber threats, climate-induced insecurity and organised crime have made it evident the national security challenge cannot be solved through national actions only.
In other words, these issues need concerted national, regional and international efforts that incorporate security policies with active foreign
policy. Besides, existing challenges, including poverty, youth unemployment, poor governance and environmental degradation, contribute to insecurity, pointing to the necessity of using people-centred approaches to national security.
This paper analyses the connection between NSS and foreign policy in Africa. The two approaches are conceptualised, and the connection is analysed from the perspectives of Realism, Liberal Institutionalism, Human Security Theory and Comprehensive Security Approach. The
paper concludes by arguing African states should develop coherent, people-centred NSSs that align with their foreign policy frameworks to
strengthen national resilience, regional stability and sustainable development.
Conceptualising National Security Strategy
A NSS is the highest strategic policy document through which a state defines its security vision, articulates its national interests, assesses
its strategic environment, identifies threats and opportunities and outlines the policies, instruments and institutional arrangements
required to safeguard those interests. It provides an overarching framework that aligns national security objectives with the coordinated
application of diplomatic, military, intelligence, economic, legal and informational instruments of national power.1 Consequently, a NSS is not a mere security or intelligence framework but a comprehensive whole-of-government strategy that integrates national security with governance, economic development, foreign policy and societal resilience.
Considering the current environment of terrorism, violent extremism, cyber-attacks, organised crime, climate change, pandemics and great power competitions, there is an increase in the sphere of national security from security issues to other concerns such as institutional resilience, human security and cooperation with the international community.
Therefore, modern NSSs take a holistic approach where state security and human security are included.2 A successful NSS typically articulates a state’s vision, strategy and national interests, assesses threats and risks, identifies priority issues, allocates tasks and resources across institutions, strengthens international cooperation, and establishes mechanisms for whole-of-government coordination and implementation review.
As the supreme national strategic security document, NSS guides defence and intelligence, homeland security, foreign policy, crisis
management and national development planning.
It further helps ensure all institutions dealing with national security and governance work under a common strategic framework.
Conceptualising Foreign Policy
Foreign policy involves the ideas, goals and activities a country employs to regulate its interaction with other countries, international
organisations and non-state actors in order to pursue its national interests. Foreign policy is part of statecraft, as it involves the management of international interactions and relationships by governments to ensure national security, economic prosperity and protection of sovereignty.
Additionally, foreign policy includes not only diplomacy but defence and security cooperation, international trade, economic development
assistance, intelligence cooperation, public diplomacy and multilateralism.
Contemporary foreign policy has been shaped by an increasingly globalised and complex world fraught with geopolitical rivalry, terrorism, cyberattacks, climate change, pandemics, migration and economic interdependence. Thus, the modern foreign policy is based on a holistic approach and involves all possible types of foreign policy tools such as diplomacy, economics, military power and soft power to address both traditional and non-traditional security challenges.
Effective foreign policy articulates national priorities in the international arena, guides diplomacy, develops strategic relationships, helps prevent conflicts and facilitates international cooperation.
Being a key tool for regulating a country’s interaction with other countries and international organisations, foreign policy provides strategic
guidance in diplomacy, international negotiations, defence diplomacy, economic cooperation, regional integration and multilateralism. Foreign policy ensures a country’s international actions are consistent with national priorities and can be used to build alliances, mobilise international support, deal with transnational threats and increase the influence of a country in the global arena.
Theoretical Perspectives Linking National Security Strategy and Foreign Policy
The relationship between NSS and foreign policy should be analysed in relation to international relations and security theories. The NSS offers the framework within which a country’s interests are defined and analysed along with threat assessment, while foreign policy is the main instrument for the pursuit of these interests in the international arena.
The interaction between these two instruments is particularly significant in Africa, where states increasingly confront transnational threats such as terrorism, violent extremism, organised crime, cyber insecurity, climate change and irregular migration. Four complementary theoretical perspectives – Realism, Liberal Institutionalism, Human Security Theory and the Comprehensive
Security Approach – provide useful explanations for this nexus.
Realism provides the traditional foundation for understanding the relationship between national security and foreign policy. As analysed
by Morgenthau and Waltz, the international system is marked by anarchy, as such, states must depend mainly on their own means to
protect their sovereignty, territorial integrity and national interests.6
The National Security Council (NSC), therefore, determines strategic threats and prioritises national security. On the other hand, foreign policy operationalises national security strategies through diplomatic relations, security and defence cooperation, intelligence collaboration and strategic alliances.
In the African scenario, Morgenthau and Waltz explain the reason for increasing regional security cooperation in the face of terrorism and organised crime. For instance, in their NSSs, Ghana and Nigeria have identified violent extremism, cyber threats, and organised crimes as some strategic threats which require both domestic readiness and international cooperation. This is evidenced by the active engagement of Ghana and Nigeria in ECOWAS security arrangements, which emphasises intelligence exchange, joint border operations and joint actions to address insecurity in the Sahel. In the light of liberalism, foreign policy becomes an extension of national security since the policy helps to create an environment that supports strategic interests and secures the state.
Liberal institutionalism suggests international cooperation enhances national security by diminishing uncertainties and fostering
cooperative efforts in addressing common challenges.7
Contrary to realism which views national security through military power, liberal institutionalism argues the state achieves their
national security objectives through regional and international institutions, diplomacy and international law. In this case, NSS determines
areas which require cooperation, whereas foreign policy facilitates engagement with various partners. Institutions such as the African
Union (AU), ECOWAS, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development
(IGAD) have established mechanisms for conflict prevention, peace operations, early warning and counter-terrorism cooperation. The foreign policies of South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and other African states, which consistently emphasise multilateralism, peaceful coexistence and international cooperation, complement the NSSs of these states by strengthening regional partnerships and contributing to UN peace operations.
Liberal Institutionalism, therefore, demonstrates effective national security increasingly depends upon cooperative regional and international engagements rather than unilateral action.
The Human Security Theory extends security to encompass individual safety and wellbeing against threats such as poverty, disease, environmental degradation, political instability and violent conflicts.8 This theory posits national security can be achieved only partially through the protection of state boundaries but must extend to dealing with the socio-economic factors responsible for insecurity. As such, it has considerable relevance in the African context, where numerous security threats arise from such structural weaknesses
as youth unemployment, poor governance, climate change, food insecurity and communal violence.
Therefore, modern NSSs have incorporated human development, environmental conservation, disaster preparedness and economic
resilience together with the more traditional defence strategies. Likewise, foreign policy has transcended diplomacy to cover development
cooperation, humanitarianism, climate and public health policies. Indeed, the NSS of Ghana identifies illegal mining, cybercrimes, environmental degradation, communal conflicts and economic insecurity as major national security issues. This highlights the theory’s emphasis on the importance of foreign policy in enhancing national security by harnessing the power of international cooperation and development to tackle the root causes of insecurity and not the effects.
The Comprehensive Security Approach embraces traditional and non-traditional elements of security in a strategic framework. It indicates
contemporary threats are multi-dimensional and inter-connected, thus, requiring response co-ordination between government institutions
and society.9 NSSs, therefore, embrace defence, intelligence, diplomacy, economic, cybersecurity, environmental and public health strategies while foreign policy helps in doing the same through international cooperation.
The current security situation in Africa highlights the relevance of this approach. In Africa, terrorism is interconnected with organised crime and trafficking; climate change results in migration and natural resource conflicts; cyberthreats jeopardise economies and critical infrastructure while pandemics highlight deficiencies in governance and public health facilities.10
Such multi-faceted challenges require comprehensive whole-of-government coordination in domestic matters and international engagement. African initiatives illustrating the principles of comprehensive security include African Peace and Security Architecture, African Standby Force, ECOWAS Early Warning and Response Network (ECOWARN) and the Accra Initiative.11 Moreover, the NSS of Ghana
advocates comprehensive coordination involving defence, intelligence, law enforcement, disaster management and diplomatic agencies.
This approach acknowledges national security is dependent not only on military strength but also on good governance, co-ordination, innovation and regional cooperation.
In sum, the connection between NSS and foreign policy finds explanation from the perspectives of Realism, Liberal Institutionalism, Human Security Theory and Comprehensive Security Approach. These theoretical approaches show national security and foreign policy reinforce each other as tools of governance. As such, effective NSSs in African states must be co-ordinated with foreign policy for regional cooperation, good governance, addressing transnational threats and sustainable development and peace. In the globalised era,
it is essential to incorporate domestic security planning and international relations to secure national interests.
Attached below is a copy of the full paper
The writer, Emmanuel Wekem Kotia, PhD, is a retired Major General of the Ghana Armed Forces with over four decades of distinguished service in military leadership, international peace operations, security governance, and academia.
