Security in the contemporary world

 

What is security?

The basic security implies freedom from threat but in actual security relates only to extremely dangerous threats. Threats that could so endangered core values or be damaged beyond repair. If we did not do something to deal with the situation..

Traditional notions: 

external factors

In the traditional conception of security, the greatest danger to a country is from military threats. 

The source of this danger is another country which by threatening actions endangers the core value of sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.

In responding to the threat of war, a government has three basic choices-

A government has three basic choices 

1..to surrender 

2..to prevent 

3.. to defend

 Therefore, security policy is concerned with preventing war, which is called deterrence and with limiting or ending words which is called defence.

Traditional security policy has a third component called balance of power means to build up one's military power( economic and technological power).

A fourth and related component of traditional security policy is alliance building.

An alliance is a coalition of states that coordinate their actions to deter or defend against military attack.

The US backed the islamic militants in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union in the 1980s but later attacked them when Al Qaeda- a group of Islamic militants led by Osama bin laden launched Terrorist strikes against America on 11 September 2001.

In traditional view of security then most important threats to a country’s security comes from outside its borders.

Traditional notions: internal

Asia and Africa, newly independent countries faced security challenges.

The new countries face the prospect of military conflict with neighbouring countries. Another they had to worry about internal military conflict with neighbouring countries. 

Internal wars now make up more than 95% of all armed conflicts fought anywhere in the world. Between 1946 and 1991 there was 12 fold rise in the number of civil wars.

Traditional security and cooperation

An universally accepted view that countries should not only go to war for the right reasons.

Armies must avoid killing or hurting non combatants as well as unarmed and surrender combatants.

Cooperation includes three important Forms-

1)...Disarmament- it requires all states to give up certain kinds of weapons.

 For example, the 1972 BMC and the 1992 CMC Banned, the production and possession of these weapons.  More than 155 states acceded to the BMC and 181 states acceded to CMC, including all the great powers..

2 )...Arms control. It regulates the acquisition or development of weapons. 

The antiballistic missile treaty in 1972, tried to stop the US and Soviet Union from ballistic missiles as a defensive shield to launch a nuclear attack. It did not allow both countries to deploy a very limited number of defensive system..

3)..confidence building: it is a process in which countries share ideas and information with their rivals. Share their military intentions and military plans.We can say, confidence building is a process design to ensure that rivals do not go to war through misunderstanding or misconceptions.

Non-traditional notions

Non-traditional notions of security go beyond military threats to include a wide range of threats and dangers effecting the conditions of human existence, means global security-

1...human security

It is about the protection of people more than the protection of state, because concept of human security argue that the threat agenda– should include hunger, disease and natural disasters because these kill far more people than war, genocide and terrorism combined.

2..Global security. 

The idea of global security emerged in the 1990s in response to the global nature of threats such as global warming, international terrorism and health epidemics, bird flu and so on...

 No country can resolve this problem alone. For example, due to global warming is sea level rise of 1.5 to 2.0 meters would flood 20% of Bangladesh, most part of Maldives and threaten nearly half of the population of Thailand. 

New source of threats

1.. Terrorism

It refers to political violence that targets the civilians deliberately and indiscriminately. Civilian targets are usually choose to terrorism the public as a weapon against national government or other parties in conflict. 

For example, hijacking planes, planting bombs in trains, market and other crowded places.

2..Human rights 

there are three types-

political rights- which includes freedom of speech and assembly

economic rights- which include social rights 

third is the right of colonised people or ethnic and indi genous.

3.. Global poverty

Another source of insecurity. Among the world’s poorest countries population is expected to triple in the next 50 years.

currently half of the world's population growth occurs in just six countries- India, China, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh and Indonesia, sub-Saharan Africa, which is also the porous region of the world.

4.. migrants 

poverty in South led to a large-scale migration to seek a  better life, especially better economic opportunities in the north.

people who have fled their homes but remain within national boundaries are called internally displaced people. Kashmiri pundits are the examples of internally displaced community.

5..Health epidermic 

diseases like HIV aids, bird flu, severe acute respiratory syndrome have rapidly spread through migrations, business, tourism and military cooperation. 

May 2003 and estimate 4 crore people were infected with HIV or AIDS worldwide 2/ third of the year in Africa and half of the rest in South Asia.

 other new disasters such as eloba virus and hepatitis C have emerged while old diseases like TV, malaria, dengue, fever have muted into drug resistance forms that are difficult to threat.

cooperative security

government organisation like  WHO, WTO, IMF, World Bank, 

non-governmental organisation, Amnesty international, the Red Cross,  Private foundations and charity Churches, trade unions, associations social and developmental organisation, business and cooperation and great personalities- Nelson Mandela, mother, Teresa etc...

India’s security strategy

India security has four broad components-

1..The first component was strengthening its military capabilities.

2.. the 2nd  component of India’s, security strategy has been to strengthen international norms and international institutions to protect its security interest. 

3..The third component of India security strategy is geared towards meeting security challenges within the country.

4.. Finally, there has been an attempt in India to develop its economy in a way that the vast masses of citizens are lifted out of poverty and misery and huge economic inequalities are not allowed to exist.

Thanking you