摘要：It will be argued that perception cannot be disconnected from the question 'what is the threat,' and thus perceptions are a necessary feature of any security equation. There are parties who would argue that it is only the actions and capabilities of actors which can be used to calculate threat, and in isolation perhaps this is true. A picture will be presented, of a system in which societies, both state and sub-state, act and react in a form of repeated 'game.' The 'game' played however necessitates assessment of a 'security' situation in a situation of imperfect information. Perceptions may be shaped or altered, or reliance upon them reduced through signalling or the development of norms and institutions, but perceptions will always be a fundamental feature of a society's decisions related to security
