The concept of security dilemma is one of the most widely used concepts in the discipline of international relations during the Cold War. It was first used in the context of explaining decision-making processes in John H. Herz’s book “Political Realism and Political Idealism”. The security dilemma, in its traditional definition, refers to the situation in which a state takes measures to ensure its security upon perceiving a threat from another state, and the other side responds in the same way. With this situation, mutual distrust and armament increase, and with it the risk of conflict.

• Herz, John H. Political Realism and Political Idealism: A Study in Theories and Realities. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1951.