<h5 id="overview">OVERVIEW</h5> <ul> <li>The terms ‘security’ or ’national security’ are often used in world politics and can be vague.</li> <li>They are sometimes used to stop debate, implying that the issue is too important or secret for open discussion.</li> <li>Security is a concept that can be viewed from two perspectives: traditional or critical. <ul> <li>Traditional security focuses on the state and its military power.</li> <li>Critical security includes human and environmental security, and broadens the concept of threat.</li> </ul> </li> <li>Understanding security in different contexts is crucial, as it determines our view of security.</li> <li>In a democracy, it’s essential for citizens to be informed about security matters, as they affect the well-being of the country.</li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="what-is-security">What is Security?</h5> <ul> <li>Security implies freedom from threats, but not every threat is considered a security threat.</li> <li>The concept of security is generally defined by those who study the field, and can include threats to “core values”.</li> <li>Core values can refer to those of a country or of individuals, and the level of threat that should be considered a security issue is subjective.</li> <li>Security is typically only related to extremely dangerous threats that could cause irreparable damage to core values.</li> <li>The concept of security can vary between societies and change over time, and is often divided into traditional and non-traditional notions.</li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="traditional-notions-external">Traditional Notions: EXTERNAL</h5> <ul> <li> <p>The traditional notion of security primarily focuses on national security, viewing military threats from other countries as the greatest danger.</p> </li> <li> <p>A country’s security policy aims to prevent war (deterrence) and limit or end war (defence). This is achieved by having three basic choices when confronted with a threat: surrender, deterrence by raising the cost of war, and defence during war.</p> </li> <li> <p>The balance of power is a crucial component of traditional security policy. Countries are sensitive to the balance of power with other nations, especially those close by, with differences, or with past conflicts. Maintaining a balance of power involves building up military, economic, and technological power.</p> </li> <li> <p>Alliance building is another essential element of traditional security policy. Alliances are coalitions of states that coordinate actions to deter or defend against military attacks. These alliances are based on national interests and can change when national interests change.</p> </li> <li> <p>In the traditional view, most threats to a country’s security come from outside its borders due to the lack of a central authority controlling behaviour in international politics. Each country is responsible for its own security, as the United Nations only has authority to the extent that the membership allows it.</p> </li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="traditional-notions-internal">Traditional Notions: INTERNAL</h5> <ul> <li>Security depends not only on external peace and order but also on internal security, which was largely assured for powerful countries after WWII.</li> <li>After WWII, external threats were primarily from the Cold War between the US-led Western alliance and the Soviet-led Communist alliance, with fears of military attack.</li> <li>Newly-independent countries after WWII had security concerns similar to European powers, including potential conflicts with neighbours, former colonial rulers, and internal military conflicts.</li> <li>Post-WWII, internal wars became the majority of armed conflicts, with a 12-fold rise in civil wars from 1946-1991, primarily in Asia and Africa.</li> <li>New states faced challenges from external wars with neighbours and internal wars, often driven by separatist movements and external interference.</li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="traditional-security-and-cooperation">Traditional Security and COOPERATION</h5> <ul> <li>Traditional security recognizes the possibility of cooperation in limiting violence, with limits on both ends and means of war.</li> <li>Important forms of cooperation include disarmament, arms control, and confidence building. Disarmament requires states to give up certain kinds of weapons, as seen in the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention and the 1992 Chemical Weapons Convention.</li> <li>Arms control regulates the acquisition or development of weapons, as seen in the Anti-ballistic Missile Treaty, SALT II, START, and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty of 1968.</li> <li>Confidence building is a process of sharing ideas, intentions, and information to avoid misunderstandings and misperceptions that could lead to war.</li> <li>In traditional security, force is both the principal threat to security and the principal means of achieving security.</li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="non-traditional-notions">Non-Traditional Notions</h5> <ul> <li>Non-traditional notions of security expand the referent of security beyond the state to include individuals, communities, and all of humankind.</li> <li>These notions propose a broader understanding of security threats, including not only military threats but also violent threats, hunger, disease, natural disasters, and economic insecurity.</li> <li>Human security and state security should ideally be the same, but a secure state does not necessarily mean secure individuals.</li> <li>The cartoon highlights the massive expenditure on defense and lack of funding for peace-related initiatives, questioning if this is also true in our country.</li> <li>The idea of global security emerged in the 1990s in response to global threats such as climate change, international terrorism, and health epidemics, requiring international cooperation for resolution.</li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="new-sources-of-threats">New Sources of Threats</h5> <ul> <li> <p>Terrorism is a form of political violence targeting civilians indiscriminately, often aimed at changing a political context or condition by force or threat of force.</p> </li> <li> <p>Human rights are classified into three types: political rights, economic and social rights, and rights of colonized people or ethnic and indigenous minorities. There is no agreement on which set of rights should be considered universal or what the international community should do during violations.</p> </li> <li> <p>Global poverty, expected to increase with population growth, is a significant source of insecurity. Disparities between and within countries contribute to the gap between Northern and Southern nations, often leading to large-scale migration and international political frictions.</p> </li> <li> <p>New and drug-resistant diseases, such as HIV-AIDS, bird flu, and SARS, can rapidly spread through migration, tourism, and military operations, leading to potential health crises and economic losses.</p> </li> <li> <p>The concept of security should maintain a level of coherence and not be expanded to include every issue. To qualify as a security problem, an issue must threaten the existence of a state or group of people.</p> </li> <li> <p>Non-traditional conceptions of security, like traditional conceptions, vary according to local contexts. For example, global warming threatens the Maldives, while HIV-AIDS poses a severe threat in Southern Africa.</p> </li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="cooperative">Cooperative</h5> <ul> <li>Cooperative security is a more effective approach to deal with non-traditional security threats, such as poverty, migration, refugee movements, and epidemics.</li> <li>Military force has a limited role in addressing these issues and, in most cases, would only worsen the situation.</li> <li>International cooperation can be bilateral, regional, continental, or global, depending on the nature of the threat and the willingness and ability of countries to respond.</li> <li>Cooperative security may involve various international and national players, including international organizations, NGOs, businesses, and prominent figures.</li> <li>The use of force can be a last resort in cooperative security, but it should be sanctioned and applied collectively by the international community, rather than by an individual country.</li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="indias-security-strategy">India’s Security Strategy</h5> <ul> <li>India’s security strategy has four components: strengthening military capabilities, reinforcing international norms and institutions, addressing internal security challenges, and promoting economic development.</li> <li>The first component is demonstrated through military conflicts with neighbors and nuclear tests conducted in 1974 and 1998, aiming to safeguard national security.</li> <li>The second component involves supporting Asian solidarity, decolonization, disarmament, and the UN, while advocating for a non-discriminatory nonproliferation regime and an equitable New International Economic Order. India has also joined the Kyoto Protocol and participated in UN peacekeeping missions.</li> <li>Internal security challenges are addressed by preserving national unity through a democratic political system, allowing different communities to freely articulate their grievances and share power.</li> <li>The fourth component focuses on developing the economy to reduce poverty, inequality, and promote human development, with democratic politics playing a crucial role in providing greater security.</li> <li>In the imaginary situation, four villages (Kotabagh, Gewali, Kandali, and Goppa) have conflicting demands over natural resources, leading to frequent clashes. The teacher’s role is to facilitate negotiations and discussions for a solution accommodating all demands.</li> </ul> <p>======</p>