A Historical Perspective: How National Security Became an Economic Issue

Abstract

Everywhere and throughout the ages, the economic resources at the disposal of rival parties have influenced their power and their fighting ability. To paraphrase Thucydides, historian of the Peloponnesian War, the war was not so much a matter of arms as of expenditure, through which arms could be put to use. This chapter offers a historical view of the interrelations between military power (national security) and economic wealth.