The claim that “security is indivisible,” the guiding principle of liberal democracies since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, sounds reassuring but, upon a little reflection, quickly becomes unsatisfying.
Constant repetition has not answered the most important question: What does “indivisible” mean in practice?
Precision is tricky when “strategic ambiguity” — uncertainty about the exact response to an adversary’s aggression to complicate its calculations and enhance deterrence — has become the coin of the realm. But ambiguity also affects allies and partners, and their expectations are as important, if not more so, as those of adversaries.