International SecurityInternational Security

Revision Class

Today we willToday we will

Review key concepts Discuss exam writing techniquesPractice Answer Session

What is security?What is security?

There are four key assumptions underlying the idea of security: (1) security in (or of) what; (2) from what; (3) for what; and (4) by what means

Security may be defined as:Security may be defined as:

(1) Safety(2) from other people(3) so that people can enjoy the advantages

of living in society with others while limiting the risks

(4) through deterrence on the part of the would-be protector or diffidence on the part of would-be attacker

Security of the StateSecurity of the State

What activities do we associate with security of the state?

What paradigm of security reflects these concerns?

Security of the StateSecurity of the State

Security of the state refers to a state’s ability to protect itself from external dangers and menaces: e.g., intervention, blockade, invasion, destruction, occupation, or some other harmful interference by a hostile foreign power or terrorist group.

The goal of state security is to deter, prevent or defeat attacks against the state and its population.

The proponents of national security, who we often refer to as realists, generally assume that we live in a world where states are both the main sources of security and the main security threats.

Limitations of State SecurityLimitations of State Security

Not all states have the same security requirements

Security of the state does not always translate into security of the person

Minimal, Maximal and Failed Minimal, Maximal and Failed StatesStates

Minimal states give priority to the individuals who compromise them (liberalism)

Maximal states give priority to the community or collective (authoritarianism / totalitarianism)

Failed (or quasi) states are legal fictions where there is in effect no civil authority

Security of International Security of International SocietySociety

What activities do we associate with security of international society?

What paradigm of security reflects these concerns?

Security of International Security of International SocietySociety

Insecurity within international society must necessarily come from within and not from without; it is an internal dynamic arising out of the condition of anarchy

In this context, the goal is to deter those who would threaten the plural and cooperative character of international society.

This goal is achieved by the balance of power and the concert of great powers

The proponents of international security, who we often refer to as pluralists or rationalists, see a world characterised by a mixture of conflict and cooperation.

Limitations of International Limitations of International SecuritySecurity

The great powers do not always act in concert

The great powers often allow their own national interests to take priority over their international responsibilities

A single, global superpower (USA) could put an end to the balance of power

Security of the PersonSecurity of the Person

What activities do we associate with security of the person?

What paradigm of security reflects these concerns?

Security of the PersonSecurity of the Person

Security extends beyond the protection of borders, ruling elites, and exclusive state interests to include the protection of people

The goal is to ensure the safety and well-being of all human beings We see evidence of this goal at work in human rights, humanitarian

law (the laws of war) and crimes against humanity The proponents of human security, who we often refer to as solidarists

or revolutionists, consider personal security to be a fundamental problem of international relations and not merely a matter for the

domestic politics of the state concerned.

Limitations of Security Limitations of Security of the Personof the Person

It is potentially open to the charge of chauvinism, ethnocentrism and imperialism

It disregards or downplays the practical and normative problems associated with military intervention

Military InterventionMilitary Intervention

Intervention consists of “interference by a sovereign state, group of such states, or international organization, involving the threat or use of force or some other means of duress, in the domestic jurisdiction of an independent state against the will or wishes of its government” (R. Jackson, 2000)

Intervention is thus the exception rather than the rule in international society and can therefore only be justified in the most exceptional of circumstances

The expectation is that such intervention will only take place when there is compelling and indeed overwhelming reasons to interfere with the sovereign rights of states and their citizens to conduct their own domestic affairs as they see fit

Current Justification for Current Justification for InterventionIntervention

Consent (National Security) (Bosnia / Afghanistan)

International Order (International Security) (Iraq 1991)

Humanitarianism (Human Security) (Kosovo)

Q & AQ & A

Do you have any specific questions or points of clarification related to the syllabus?