It goes without saying that states will not devote resources to securing things about which they do not care. But do they care about everything that they should care about? And do they care too much or too little about things that they do care about? These fundamental questions rarely arise, except, perhaps, in the early stages of securitization moves, or when we cast a cynical eye on the priorities of politicians whom we suspect of misrepresenting personal or partisan interests as national or global ones. And yet they are of vital importance. How can we know that we are allocating security resources wisely without being clear about what things are worth securing, and why?