292 Journal of the Spanisch Institute for Strategic Studies N. 3 / 2014 trend of analysing security at the urban level should be boosted considering our deepened dependency on urban life, as well as the need to protect the infrastructure that sustains it. In the next section I will adopt a holistic view of security in urban areas, as is implicit in the Spanish strategic documents. 3. THE VULNERABILITY OF CITIES AND THE STRATEGY The Spanish Security Strategy of 2011 and the National Security Strategy of 2013 reflect the general trend towards recognising new threats that place the functioning of global society in danger. Since 9/11, governments across the globe have followed the example of the USA in revising old strategies and producing new national documents, recognising the changing reality and the necessary solutions to urgent problems such as terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, illegal migration, organised crime and cybersecurity, among others. The new threats that we have to face have an important urban dimension. The two strategies determine the emerging risks for society at the national, European and global level, although they do not make explicit mention of the urban level, which usually fits in to the category of public safety or civil protection. In a globalised world, however, public security in cities is no longer a purely domestic issue. As current risks have become transnational, cities are now also vulnerable to all types of risks and threats, without there being a clear strategy on how to deal with them. The need for a broad understanding of security is made clear in the titles of the above-mentioned documents. The Spanish Security Strategy – Everyone’s Responsibility and the National Security Strategy – A Shared Project. Those involved are the National State Administration, the Autonomous Communities, Local Administration and society as a whole1920. The strategies recognise (although only implicitly) that cities are predisposed to political violence due to their very nature; and that they are also vulnerable to natural or industrial disasters. The current level of urbanisation and technical development generates both advantages and disadvantages as regards the security of nations, cities and inhabitants. In order to analyse security at an interurban level (interconnected cities in the face of international dangers), I will focus on a number of elements mentioned in the Spanish Security Strategy and the National Security Strategy. 19 Spanish Security Strategy, 2011, p. 14. 20 National Security Strategy, 2013, p. 7.
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