Jonathan Shaw (The Tablet, 6 June) provides a perfect example of what is wrong with the British approach to security. That is to say that people like him speak from the perspective of force and militarism and conflict. They will always assume that defence (destructive military force) is the only and proper guarantor of security. The link is evident in the title, Strategic Defence and Security Review. The link is seen as unchallengeable.
Another perspective is to see security stemming from the promotion of peace in the world community, not through the barrel of a gun, but by promoting economic justice for all and human rights.
It is significant that the word peace appears nowhere in Shaw’s analysis, whereas competitiveness, threat, and "having a technological edge over opponents" features large.
Until society can escape from this "there is no alternative" mindset, we shall continue to waste millions in what is arguably an unChristian struggle to "punch above our weight".
Frank Campbell, Southampton
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