For many, the belief that the state should be the primary reference object for security studies has become obsolete. With the failure of the Westphalian system at the end of the 20th century, in which states were the main institutional agents, international debate heated up on questions of sovereignty and the state became less relevant as a primary reference object. The world was changing and, as Dr Javier Solana, Secretary General of NATO, said in 1998, humanity and democracy, two principles at the forefront of international debate and essentially irrelevant to the original Westphalian system, now serve as indicators in creation of a new international system. order, one better suited to today's security realities and challenges. The Westphalian system essentially gave the international community an effective method of dividing territory and recognizing the borders of states and in the Westphalian system the objectives of the state and what was believed to be in the best national interest and was believed to suppress any needs of individual citizens or groups. However, in the interconnected world we live in today and with the advent of technologies that connect people around the world at the click of a button, traditional identities and the role of states as the primary reference object in security studies are change. failed. Non-traditional security threats have emerged in recent decades and are receiving more and more attention and importance than some traditional security threats because they threaten people and the nation itself, as opposed to traditional threats directed solely against the state. This essay will discuss the debate over traditional and non-traditional security threats as they are seen in schools of realism and libe...... middle of paper......Studies, Washington, District of Columbia.2008. pp 10. Retrieved 6 December 2011E, Carr. "The Twenty Year Crisis 1919-1939: An Introduction to the Study of International Relations." New York: Harper-Collins, 1964. pp. 161iBid. pp. 153T, Expedition. “From Offensive Realism to Defensive Realism: An Evolutionary Social Interpretation of China's Security Strategy.” Document no. 3. S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technical University, Singapore. 2007, pp. 31. URL consulted on 7 December 2011 Yes, Craig. “Chinese Perception of Traditional and Nontraditional Security Threats.” Institute for Strategic Studies, US Army. March 2007, pp. 101. URL consulted on 7 December 2011 iBid.