METHODOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR ASSESSING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL COOPERATION AND NATIONAL SECURITY

The article argues that a one-directional formula in which "more social cooperation automatically means more national security" is methodologically insufficient. Cooperation quality, trust, institutional coordination, legal safeguards and protection of vulnerable groups are separated as distinct dimensions. Security is conceptualized not only as protection of the state but as a multi-level relationship among personal security, social resilience and institutional stability. The study proposes a theoretical "cooperation-security assessment matrix" intended to structure subsequent empirical operationalization without claiming a validated index or causal effect.