01 · Explore
What is Security?
Security is a fundamental yet complex concept in international relations, traditionally defined as freedom from threats to core values.
At its most basic level, security implies freedom from threats. However, not every threat encountered in daily life qualifies as a security issue. If every danger—from a street robbery to a minor diplomatic disagreement—were labeled a security threat, the world would appear so saturated with danger that effective action would be impossible.
Scholars define security as relating only to extremely dangerous threats that could damage 'core values' beyond repair. These core values typically include a nation's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. Because the world is constantly changing, the conception of security is not static; it varies across different societies and historical periods.
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Why is it necessary to limit the definition of security to 'core values'?
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02 · Explore
Traditional Notions: External Threats
The traditional conception of security focuses on military threats from other countries as the primary danger to a state.
In traditional security, the greatest danger comes from another country's military action. Such actions threaten the very existence of the state and the lives of its citizens. Governments respond to these threats through three main choices: surrender (though rarely advertised as policy), deterrence (preventing attack by promising high costs), or defense (defeating the attacker).
A key component of traditional security is the 'Balance of Power'. Governments are sensitive to the relative strength of their neighbors. Even if a powerful neighbor is not currently aggressive, its capability to be so in the future makes it a potential threat. States maintain this balance by building military, economic, and technological power.
| Strategy | Objective |
|---|---|
| Deterrence | Preventing war by raising the potential cost of attack to an unacceptable level. |
| Defense | Limiting or ending a war once it has already started. |
| Alliance Building | Coordinating with other states to increase collective power against a common threat. |
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What is the primary source of threat in the traditional view of security?
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03 · Explore
Traditional Notions: Internal Security
While external threats often dominate the discussion, internal peace and order are equally vital for a nation's security.
After the Second World War, powerful Western nations often ignored internal security because their borders were relatively stable. However, for newly independent countries in Asia and Africa, internal security remained a massive challenge. These 'Third World' nations faced separatist movements and internal military conflicts that were often instigated by neighbors.
The historical context matters: between 1946 and 1991, there was a twelve-fold rise in the number of civil wars. Today, internal wars make up more than 95 percent of all armed conflicts globally. For many states, the threat from within—such as groups demanding independence—is more immediate than the threat of foreign invasion.
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Why did internal security become a major concern for newly independent states after 1945?
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04 · Explore
Traditional Security and Cooperation
Traditional security recognizes that states can cooperate to limit violence through treaties and information sharing.
Cooperation in traditional security often takes the form of disarmament and arms control. Disarmament requires states to give up specific types of weapons, such as the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). Arms control, like the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), regulates the acquisition or development of weapons rather than banning them entirely.
Confidence building is another cooperative tool. It involves rivals sharing information about their military intentions and plans. By being transparent about troop deployments and military exercises, countries reduce the risk of war starting through misunderstanding or a false perception of a surprise attack.
| Treaty/Convention | Year | Primary Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) | 1972 | Banned production and possession of biological weapons. |
| Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) | 1997 | Banned production and possession of chemical weapons. |
| Anti-ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty | 1972 | Stopped the US and USSR from using ballistic missiles as a defensive shield. |
| Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) | 1968 | Regulated the right to possess nuclear weapons based on 1967 status. |
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What is the difference between disarmament and arms control?
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05 · Explore
Non-Traditional Notions: Human Security
Non-traditional security shifts the focus from the state to the individual, addressing threats to human existence itself.
Non-traditional security, often called 'human security' or 'global security', argues that the referent (the entity being protected) should be individuals and communities rather than just the state. Proponents argue that secure states do not always mean secure people; historically, more people have been killed by their own governments than by foreign armies.
There are two main views of human security. The 'narrow' view focuses on protecting individuals from internal violence. The 'broad' view, or 'freedom from want', includes threats like hunger, disease, and natural disasters. These threats often kill far more people than war or terrorism combined.
The Scope of Human Security
- 1
State Security
Traditional focus on protecting borders and sovereignty from foreign military attack.
- 2
Narrow Human Security
Focuses on protecting individuals from violent threats and internal conflict.
- 3
Broad Human Security
Includes 'freedom from want'—protection from hunger, disease, and poverty.
- 4
Global Security
Addresses universal threats like global warming and international epidemics.
The evolution of security concepts from state-centric military defense to a broad, individual-centric approach.
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What does the term 'referent' mean in the context of security?
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06 · Explore
New Sources of Threats
Modern security challenges include terrorism, human rights abuses, global poverty, and health epidemics.
Terrorism is a major non-traditional threat, involving political violence that targets civilians indiscriminately to create fear. While terrorism is not new, the 11 September 2001 attacks on the US brought it to the forefront of global security agendas. It uses the public's unhappiness as a weapon against governments.
Human rights have come to be classified into three types: political rights (such as freedom of speech and assembly), economic and social rights, and the rights of colonised people or ethnic and indigenous minorities. While there is broad agreement on this classification, there is no universal agreement on which set of rights should be considered universal or what the international community should do when they are violated.
Global poverty and health epidemics are also critical threats. Disparities between the 'North' (rich countries) and 'South' (poor countries) lead to large-scale migration and conflict. Diseases like HIV-AIDS, Ebola, and SARS demonstrate that borders are less meaningful in the face of biological threats. Epidemics among animals also have major economic effects, such as the mad-cow disease outbreak in Britain which cost billions in income, and bird flu which shut down poultry exports from several Asian countries.
| Threat Type | Examples | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Terrorism | Hijacking, bombings in public places | Terrorizes civilians to force political change. |
| Human Rights | Genocide in Rwanda (1994) | Debate over UN intervention in sovereign states. |
| Global Poverty | Sub-Saharan African conflicts | Reinforces low income and high population growth. |
| Health Epidemics | HIV-AIDS, SARS, Bird Flu | Massive loss of life and economic backwardness. |
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How does global warming qualify as a security threat for a country like the Maldives?
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07 · Explore
Cooperative Security
Dealing with non-traditional threats requires international cooperation rather than military confrontation.
Military force is largely ineffective against poverty, migration, or epidemics. Instead, 'Cooperative Security' involves strategies where countries work together through bilateral, regional, or global arrangements. This involves not just states, but also international organizations like the UN and WHO, and NGOs like the Red Cross.
While cooperation is the primary tool, force may still be used as a last resort. The international community may sanction force to deal with terrorists or to stop governments from killing their own people (humanitarian intervention). However, non-traditional security is most effective when force is applied collectively rather than by a single country acting alone.
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Why is military force often unsuitable for non-traditional security threats?
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08 · Explore
India's Security Strategy
India employs a four-pronged strategy to address both traditional and non-traditional security challenges.
The first component is strengthening military capabilities. India has fought several wars with neighbors (Pakistan in 1947-48, 1965, 1971, 1999; China in 1962). Surrounded by nuclear-armed states, India conducted nuclear tests in 1974 and 1998 to safeguard its national security.
The second component is strengthening international norms and institutions. India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, supported Asian solidarity, decolonisation, and disarmament. India argued for an equitable New International Economic Order (NIEO) and used non-alignment to help carve out an area of peace outside the bloc politics of the two superpowers. India also participates in UN peacekeeping and joined the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.
The third and fourth components focus on internal challenges: preserving national unity through a democratic system that allows different communities to articulate grievances, and developing the economy to lift the vast mass of citizens out of poverty and misery.
| Component | Focus Area | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Military | External Defense | Nuclear tests (1998), border security. |
| International | Global Norms | UN Peacekeeping, NIEO, Non-alignment. |
| Political | Internal Unity | Democratic system to address grievances. |
| Economic | Human Development | Poverty alleviation, reducing inequality. |
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How does democracy contribute to India's security?
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When did India first test a nuclear device?
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