Empathy and the Security Dilemma: Existing Perspectives and New Directions

The security dilemma in International Relations theory is seen as a prime cause of conflict between international actors. Security dilemma theory has been underpinned by the notion that conflicts are, at least in part, driven by a shared inability of individuals to get into the other’s mind and know their thoughts, feelings, and intentions. Arguments regarding how this problem can be mitigated, or even overcome entirely, have invoked both implicitly and explicitly the concept of empathy as a potentially instrumental component in how the other-minds problem might be solved. However, previous accounts of empathy treat it as a black-box, catch-all concept without enquiring into its complexity and ambiguity. By drawing from wider disciplinary debates, this paper makes the case that a more sophisticated conceptualisation of empathy is necessary if it is to have any productive value in studying the security dilemma.