From warriors to police? The civilianisation of security in a globalising world

Abstract

In a globalising world, the challenge of threats of violent conflict is being fundamentally transformed. Complex interdependence is leading to a ‘new security dilemma’ in which non-state actors are increasingly localised and resistant to outside intervention, challenged more by socio-economic modernisation than by traditional forms of interstate conflict. As a result, there is a growing shift to a policing model, involving: prioritisation of socio-economic development in a more open world economy; civilianisation of the state; a shift towards a law enforcement approach to the control of violent conflict and aggressive behaviour; a greater emphasis on international diplomacy, global governance and peacekeeping; the rise of ‘civilian states’ in foreign policy; and the emergence of greater global awareness and governmentality. Together, such trends are leading to an uneven but growing civilianisation of security itself, ‘from warriors to police’.