Page 159 - 《国际安全研究》2023年第2期

Vo1. 41, No. 2, March/April 2023

Abstract

3 Reflections on Theory and Reality of National Security Research
WANG Yizhou

[Abstract] National security research is a complex academic work that requires patient
and meticulous analyses. Security is a state of freedom from threats or perceived
danger. It is not a kind of isolation or guarantee on a purely physical level. National
security has an exceedingly multi-layered and diverse composition with both external
attributes and internal components. In the context of globalization and informatization,
the definition and maintenance of national security are obviously different from those
in former times, thus highlighting the importance of understanding their connections
and distinctions. From the historical process of human’s thinking over security, a
continuous evolutionary trajectory can be seen to be an important reference for
establishing today’s security thoughts, objectives and actions. A better understanding
of today’s national security situation in China and that of tomorrow is inseparable
from a better absorption of the lessons and experiences of the past. Sorting out
research types alone can help identify increasingly diverse exploration paths and tools.
The comparison of their respective advantages and disadvantages is conducive to the
construction of a balanced and reasonable security research framework that serves to
meet the needs of the new era. At the policy level, maintaining a balance between
security and development is the pivot point of China’s overall national security, of
which particular emphasis should be placed on learning the lessons of some major
countries. From an academic point of view, new ways of thinking and research tools,
such as “layered” research paths, may help researchers expand more space in their work.
[Keywords] national security and national security research, national security and
national development, national security and capacities of major countries, “layered”
research paths
[Author] WANG Yizhou, Professor, Peking University; Professor and Dean, the
Institute of Regional Studies of Nanjing University (Beijing, 100871).

23 Evolution of Unmanned Weapons and Its Implications for Asymmetric
Security
LIU Zuoli and CUI Shoujun

[Abstract] Since the new wave of military reforms, unmanned weapons have been
playing an increasingly important role in the combat system, thus receiving high
attention from all countries. In the century-old history of unmanned weapons, four
prominent functions have been fully developed: reconnaissance and tracking,
temptation and deception, precision strike, and logistic support. Current unmanned
weapons are beset with such problems as high dependence on remote control and low
levels of autonomy that constitute the main bottlenecks limiting their military
potential. In the near future, “network-based autonomy” will become a breakthrough
direction for the development of unmanned weapons, bringing four advantages of

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