Baylis,, Smith and

d Owens: T
The Globa
alization of World Pol itics 6e
Re
evision guiide
29: Human
n security
y
Chapter 2

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
o security; (2) its
foccus on the individual//people as the referent object of
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.

as been influenced by
b four devvelopments
s: (1) the
The concept of human security ha
ection of economic
e
growth
g
as tthe main in
ndicator of developmeent and the
e
reje
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
otion involvving the re
eduction of
solldiers. For the latter, human security is a broader no

Oxford Universityy Press, 2014.

Baylis,, Smith and

d Owens: T
The Globa
alization of World Pol itics 6e
Re
evision guiide
thrreats to the
e well-being
g of people
e, such as poverty an
nd diseasee.

owever, bo
oth sides a
agree that human
h
sec
curity is abbout securitty of
Ulttimately, ho
ind
dividuals ra
ather than of
o states, a
and that prrotecting pe
eople requuires going beyond
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
nced horriffic acts of violence
v
an
nd genocidde in recent decades
The world ha
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
stan, posess a growing
g threat to human seecurity.
Ba

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
we
eakening and even co
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
e way for re
econciling tthe two co
onceptions

Oxford Universityy Press, 2014.

Baylis,, Smith and

d Owens: T
The Globa
alization of World Pol itics 6e
Re
evision guiide
of human seccurity as freedom from fear and
d freedom from want .

omen featu
ure in arme
ed conflictss both as victims
v
and
d actors (inn combat and
Wo
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
ultilateral acctions to date to prom
mote humaan security
y include
The most imp
the
e Internatio
onal Crimin
nal Court a
and the Antti-Personne
el Landminnes Treaty
y.

N agenciess such as th
he UNHCR
R, UNICEF
F, and UNIFEM havee been cruc
cial in
UN
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
reh
habilitation missions, and prom oting susta
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
a the expe
ense of civiil liberties and
a
sta
human securrity, althoug
gh the Oba
ama admin
nistration has
h modifieed important
ements of its predece
essors stra
ategic apprroach to te
errorism annd promise
ed greater
ele
resspect for ciivil liberties
s and inter national co
onventions
s.

Oxford Universityy Press, 2014.