Security
AQSA ASLAM
Traditional Approaches to Security
• Focus on the state as the primary actor in
international politics.
• Protection of the state’s sovereignty and territorial
integrity.
• In this view, security is largely about military power
and the ability to defend against external threats.
• States are rational actors that seek to maximize
their security through the balance of power,
alliances, deterrence, and in some cases, war.
Non-Traditional Security
• NTS threats are primarily non-military and include
challenges like climate change, pandemics, and food
security, rather than conventional military conflicts.
• NTS focuses on the security of individuals and
communities rather than just the security of the
state.
• Solving NTS challenges requires international
collaboration, as these threats cannot be effectively
managed through unilateral or state-centric
measures.
Environmental Security
• Addresses environmental degradation, climate
change, and natural resource scarcity, which pose
risks to global stability.
• Issues like deforestation, desertification, pollution,
and extreme weather events (such as floods,
droughts, and hurricanes) fall under this category.
• Examples: Climate-induced migration, conflicts
over water or arable land, and the impacts of
global warming on coastal communities.
Economic Security
• Ensures that individuals and states have access
to stable income, resources, and economic
opportunities.
• Economic disparities, unemployment, and
global financial crises can destabilize societies,
leading to insecurity.
• Examples: The 2008 global financial crisis,
poverty, inequality, and the economic impacts
of pandemics or resource shocks.
Health Security
• Concerns public health threats that affect
human well-being and societal stability.
• This includes the spread of infectious diseases,
pandemics, and lack of access to healthcare.
• Examples: The COVID-19 pandemic,
outbreaks of Ebola, malaria, HIV/AIDS, and the
growing threat of antimicrobial resistance.
Food Security
• Ensures that people have reliable access to
sufficient, safe, and nutritious food.
• Food insecurity can lead to famine,
malnutrition, and social unrest, exacerbated by
conflict, climate change, and economic factors.
• Examples: Famine in conflict-affected regions
like Yemen or Somalia, food shortages due to
climate change or poor agricultural practices,
and rising food prices.
Community Security
• Protects the safety and well-being of
communities, especially vulnerable groups facing
violence, discrimination, or exploitation.
• It includes issues like ethnic conflict, gender-
based violence, and human trafficking.
• Examples: Civil unrest, sectarian violence, gender-
based violence, and the marginalization of
minority or indigenous communities.
Personal Security
• Safeguards individuals from physical violence,
whether from state or non-state actors.
• This element is concerned with personal
safety, including threats from terrorism,
organized crime, and domestic violence.
• Examples: Terrorist attacks, human trafficking,
gang violence, and violent crime in urban
areas.
Political Security
• Ensures that individuals live in a society that
respects human rights, political freedoms, and
the rule of law.
• Political insecurity arises from authoritarian
regimes, human rights abuses, corruption, and
political repression.
• Examples: Repression of political dissent, lack of
democratic governance, human rights violations,
and the persecution of political opponents.