Baylis,, Smith and

d Owens: T
The Globaalization of World Pol itics 6e
Reevision guiide
Chapter 2
29: Human
n security
y

 The concept of human security (ssee Box 29

9.1) represents both a vertical and
a a

horizontal exxpansion (o
or deepenin
ng and wid
dening) of the
t traditioonal notion of

nattional secu
urity, define
ed as prote
ection of sttate sovere
eignty and territorial integrity
i

from external military th

hreats.

 In its broaderr sense, hu

uman secu
urity is distiinguished by three ellements: (1
1) its

foccus on the individual//people as the referent object of

o security; (2) its

mu
ultidimensio
onal nature
e; (3) its un
niversal or global sco
ope, applyiing to state
es and

soccieties of th
he North as
a well as tthe South.

 The concept of human security ha

as been influenced by
b four devvelopments
s: (1) the

ection of economic
reje e growth
g as tthe main in
ndicator of developmeent and the
e

acccompanyin
ng notion of
o ‘human d
developme
ent’ as emp
powermentt of people
e; (2) the

risiing inciden
nce of interrnal confliccts; (3) the impact of globalizatio
g on in sprea
ading

transnationall dangers such

s as terrrorism and
d pandemics; and (4 ) the post-cold war

em
mphasis on human rig
ghts and hu
umanitaria
an intervention.

 The concept of human security ha

as been crriticized: (1) for beingg too broad
d to be

ana
alytically meaningful
m or to serve
e as the ba
asis for policy-makingg; (2) for creating

falsse expecta
ations abou
ut assistan
nce to victim
ms of viole
ence whichh the international

com
mmunity cannot deliv
ver; and (3
3) for ignoring the role
e of the staate in providing

seccurity to the people.

 Even among its advoca

ates, differe
ences exis
st as to whe
ether humaan security
y is about

‘fre
eedom from
m fear’ or ‘ffreedom frrom want’. The forme
er stressess protecting
g people

from violent conflicts

c through mea
asures suc
ch as a ban
n on landm
mines and child
c

solldiers. For the latter, human security is a broader no

otion involvving the re
eduction of

© Oxford Universityy Press, 2014.

 Baylis,, Smith and
d Owens: T
The Globaalization of World Pol itics 6e
Reevision guiide
thrreats to the
e well-being
g of people
e, such as poverty an
nd diseasee.

 Ulttimately, ho
owever, bo
oth sides a
agree that human
h sec
curity is abbout securitty of

ind
dividuals ra
ather than of
o states, a eople requuires going beyond
and that prrotecting pe

traditional priinciples of state sove

ereignty.

 Although there was a noticeable

n d
decline in the
t numbe
er of armedd conflicts and battle

dea
aths cause
ed by confllicts during
g the 1990s
s until about 2003, thhese numb
bers have

inccreased sin
nce then. In
n considerring these mixed
m trends, one shhould take into

acccount confflict mitigating factorss, such as rising econ

nomic interrdependen
nce among

nattions, the end

e of colo
onialism an
nd the cold
d war, and the growinng role of

inte
ernational institutions
s and the i nternationa
al commun
nity in peacce operatio
ons, while

som
me of the recent
r incrreases in cconflicts are
e linked to the war onn terror, ‘Is
slamist

political violence’, and non-state

n ssectarian conflicts.
c

 as experien
The world ha nced horriffic acts of violence
v an
nd genocidde in recent decades

in p
places succh as Cong
go, and new
w forms off violence may
m emergge. The gro
owing

number of we
eak or failing states, such as Ira
aq, Afghan
nistan, Burrma, Nepall,

angladesh, and Pakis

Ba stan, posess a growing
g threat to human seecurity.

 There is an in
nteractive relationshiip between
n armed co
onflict and non-violen
nt threats

to human seccurity such

h as povertty and dise
ease. Wars
s and internnal conflictts can

lea
ad to impovverishmentt, disease outbreaks, and envirronmental destruction
n.

Co
onversely, poverty,
p inequality, a
and environ
nmental de
egradation can lead to
t

eakening and even co

we ollapse of sstates. Human securrity researcch should look not

jusst at the dirrect and ind

direct conssequences
s of conflictt, but also at the rang
ge of

soccio-econom
mic, politica
al, and eco
ological fac
ctors that contribute
c tto conflict. Such an

und
derstandin
ng of huma
an security opens the econciling tthe two co
e way for re onceptions

© Oxford Universityy Press, 2014.

 Baylis,, Smith and
d Owens: T
The Globaalization of World Pol itics 6e
Reevision guiide
of human seccurity as freedom from fear and
d freedom from want .

 omen featu
Wo ure in arme
ed conflictss both as victims
v and
d actors (inn combat and

sup
pport roless). Rape an
nd other fo
orms of sex
xual violenc
ce againstt them increasingly

fea
ature as an
n instrumen
nt of war, a
and are no
ow recogniz
zed as crim
mes agains
st

humanity. Th
he international comm
munity is se
eeking way
ys to increaase the pa
articipation

of w
women in UN peace operationss and confflict-resoluttion functioons.

 portant mu
The most imp ultilateral acctions to date to prom
mote humaan security
y include

the
e Internatio
onal Crimin
nal Court a
and the Antti-Personne
el Landminnes Treaty
y.

 N agenciess such as th
UN he UNHCR
R, UNICEF
F, and UNIFEM havee been cruc
cial in

add
dressing human
h security issuess such as refugees and
a the righhts of child
dren.

 Ca
anada and Japan are two of the
e leading countries th
hat have m
made huma
an security

am
major part of their foreign policyy agenda. Their
T approaches, hoowever, sh
how the

con
ntrast betw
ween the ‘freedom fro
om fear’ an
nd ‘freedom
m from wannt’ concepttions of

human securrity respecttively.

 No
on-governm
mental orga
anizations promote human
h security by accting as a source
s of

info
ormation and
a early warning
w abo
out conflictts, providin
ng a channnel for relie
ef

ope
erations, supporting
s governme nt or UN-s
sponsored peacebuildding and

habilitation missions, and prom oting susta

reh ainable dev
velopmentt.

 The 9/11 atta

acks on the
e USA and
d the ‘war on
o terror’ have reviveed the tradiitional

ate-centric approach to nationa l security at

sta a the expe
ense of civiil liberties and
a

human securrity, althoug

gh the Oba
ama admin h modifieed important
nistration has

ements of its predece

ele essor’s stra
ategic apprroach to te
errorism annd promise
ed greater

resspect for ciivil liberties

s and inter national co
onventions
s.

© Oxford Universityy Press, 2014.