Militarisation and Political (In)security in Contemporary Zimbabwe

Main objective of this research paper is to examine and evaluate the applicable legal standards governing the responsibility of states to protect their own people affected by the ravages of internal wars from a human security perspective. It will further discuss the responsibility of state to investigate the violations of human rights committed in such war situations and the need to prosecute the alleged offenders to provide redress to the victims of such violations. The violations of human rights will be broadly defined in this research to include both human rights and violations of humanitarian law in the context of non-international armed conflict situations. This paper will draw special attention to the international community’s queries pertains to the alleged violations of human rights and humanitarian law principles against the protection of civilians during the civil war in Sri Lanka.

The term “human security” was first employed in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Report (HDR) of 1994, which argued for a “people-centric” concept of security and against the dichotomy of “freedom from want” and “freedom from fear.” This new understanding of security replaced the traditional focus of conflict between states, protection of state borders, and military solutions to security problems. It also recognized the interdependence between security and development. The HDR proposed a broad, multidimensional conceptualization of human security comprising economic security, food security, health security, environmental security, personal security, community security, and political security. Since then, human security has become an all-encompassing emancipatory concept of security at the individual (rather than state) level, addressing the many causes of human vulnerability including armed conflict, human rights violations, environmental challenges, and resource deprivation. It thus changed the security discourse and opened the “black box” of states. In 1999, Japan established the UN Trust Fund for Human Security to operationalize the human security concept. Later, Canada joined the initiative and helped to establish the Human Security Network and, in 2000, the independent Commission on Human Security (CHS) to address questions like the root causes of conflicts and the human protection and development of people. The CHS’s mantra was that states must produce sustainable economic growth and target the very poor through providing education, health services, and employment. Unsurprisingly, this broad definition of human security produced a backlash since it challenged the relative importance of “freedom from fear” and “freedom from want.” Some asserted that the human security approach lacked conceptual rigor and was difficult to operationalize. In 2003, the CHS published their report, Human Security Now: Protecting and Empowering People, which reaffirmed the broad definition of human security. In 2004, a Human Security Unit was created in the UN Secretariat of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The same year, the UN Secretary-General convened the High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change, which highlighted the interconnected and diverse threats to human security and called upon the international community to address them. A significant debate at the academic and policy levels ensued, discussing the viability of the concept as well as its political relevance. However, many UN member states, especially the so-called major powers (e.g., the United States), only played lip service to what was becoming an emerging norm in international security affairs.

Political security is the main integral component of human security and which is referring to the prevention of government repression, systematic violation of human rights and threats from militarization. Ethiopia has endorsed human rights from UDHR and by its FDRE, (1995) constitution in which such rights are accounts one third of the contents of the constitutions. The paper was aimed at examining the situations of political security and its challenge from legal perspective. It was investigated through qualitative research approach, secondary sources of data were highly employed, the time framed focused since 2005. According to the finding of the research the political security situations of Ethiopia characterized by torture and ill-treatment, political repression and enforced disappearances which are made by legal and institutional mechanisms by declaring different proclamations like Antiterrorism proclamation (ATP), Mass Media Proclamation (MMP), and Charity and Society proclamation (CSP) which are highly prohibiting the civil liberties and political rights of citizens’ of Ethiopia. Keywords: Political security, torture, political repression, disappearance DOI : 10.7176/IAGS/72-01 Publication date :May 31 st 2019

Political security is the main integral component of human security and which is referring to the prevention of government repression, systematic violation of human rights and threats from militarization. Ethiopia has endorsed human rights from UDHR and by its FDRE, (1995) constitution in which such rights are accounts one third of the contents of the constitutions. The paper was aimed at examining the situations of political security and its challenge from legal perspective. It was investigated through qualitative research approach, secondary sources of data were highly employed, the time framed focused since 2005. According to the finding of the research the political security situations of Ethiopia characterized by torture and ill-treatment, political repression and enforced disappearances which are made by legal and institutional mechanisms by declaring different proclamations like Antiterrorism proclamation (ATP), Mass Media Proclamation (MMP), and Charity and Society proclamation (CSP) which are highly prohibiting the civil liberties and political rights of citizens’ of Ethiopia. Keywords: Political security, torture, political repression, disappearance DOI : 10.7176/IAGS/72-01 Publication date :May 31 st 2019

Does political security influence the life satisfaction of indigenous peoples of Bangladesh? This study has addressed this research question using a survey dataset ( N = 384) that contains a set of variables about the political security and life satisfaction of indigenous peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), Bangladesh. This study offers fresh insights into how political insecurity, which has resulted from government repression and systematic violation of human rights, decreases the life satisfaction of indigenous peoples of the CHT. More precisely, indigenous peoples who feel they do not have their right to liberty, freedom of movement, freedom of speech, and the right to participation are more likely to be dissatisfied with their lives than those who report they enjoy these political rights. Overall, the findings of this research suggest that a negative relationship exists between the denial of fundamental freedoms and civil liberties and life satisfaction.

No accessJournal of Human SecurityOther Journal Article01 January 2011Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear: A Human Security Approach to a New Middle East? Authors: Deborah Wheeler Authors: Deborah Wheeler Associate Professor, US Naval Academy, Department of Political Science, and Visiting Professor, American University of Kuwait, email: [email protected] Google Scholar More articles by this author SectionsAboutPDF/EPUBExport CitationsAdd to FavouriteAdd to FavouriteCreate a New ListNameCancelCreate ToolsTrack CitationsCreate Clip ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInEmail Abstract In the Middle East, the persistence of authoritarianism and war, economic stagnation and the 'youth bulge', the proliferation of nuclear weapons, border disputes, competition over scarce resources, refugee problems, terrorism, human rights violations, tribalism, unresolved nationalisms and religious sectarianism make the region one where heads of state tend to place the security of their regimes over the security of the people. From a human security perspective, as explored in this article, states that pursue 'state security without investing in human security' unfortunately 'achieve neither' (UNDP, 2009, p. vi). My argument regarding the need to rethink Middle East security, for the sake of both state and society, is based upon seven years of field work in 10 Middle Eastern countries including Kuwait, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Israel/Palestine, Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco. Part one of this article looks at the convergence of global change in the security environment, conceptual change in security policy making, and subsequent developments of a 'human security' approach. Part two traces the emergence of a local 'human security' dialogue in the Middle East, and illustrates how Arab intellectuals and policy makers are using the human security framework to press for more humane governance in the Arab world. A conclusion provides an assessment of the likelihood of a human security approach taking root in the region and shifting state priorities from regime survival to citizen wellbeing. Full Text DOI Previous article Next article RelatedDetails View PUBLICATION DETAILSDate of Publication:January 2011Journal:Journal of Human SecurityISSN:1835-3800Volume:7Issue:1Page Range:37-52First Page:37Last Page:52Source:Journal of Human Security, Vol. 7, No. 1, 2011: 37-52Date Last Modified:05 September 2018 12:24Date Last Revised:06 October 2012Geographic LocationMiddle EastSubjectHuman rightsCivil rightsIslam and politicsHuman security METRICS Downloaded 0 times Copyright© Human Security Institute, 2011Download PDFLoading ...

Facing Global Environmental Change

Political security has been widely argued to be one of the fundamental pillars of development, stability and prosperity, as it in turn lays the ground and conducive environment for the attainment of other forms of human security, namely economic security, food security, health security, environmental security, personal security and community security. Political security, as stated by the United Nations Human Development Report (994), entails defense against the different forms of political oppression, respect to human rights, and protection from threats of militarization. Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to establish the extent towhich the concept of Political Security is applicable in Southern Africa within the context of a fast-globalizing landscape through analyzing historical and contemporary trends as well as forecasting future trends and patterns of political security in Southern Africa. Methodologically, the paper used secondary data sources to examine historical and contemporary trends in political security within Southern African countries whilst the International Futures (IFs) model, a comprehensive integrated modeling system, was used as a forecasting tool to establish the likelihood of political security within the different Southern African countries and future political security dynamics and complexities within Southern African countries whilst at the same timeproviding an outlook of the situation within the next 12 years. The study results show varying levels of political security in the region, with the majority of the Southern African states showing worsening political security situation by 2030, except Mauritius, Botswana, Namibia, Seychelles, and South Africa. Recommendations are suggested in the form of national and regional policy and strategic interventions that are key in strengthening political security within Southern Africa.

This article focuses on the relationship between security politics and the rule of law, and how these issues developed during the era of September 11. Security politics is defined a violation or instrumentalisation of human rights and freedom, or political rights such as participation in the democratic process by the executive power of the state. From this perspective, it can be said that in recent years two basic approaches come to the fore regarding to security politics. The first of these evaluates security politics as a violation or instrumentalisation of law. This approach moves with the Weberian concept of the state and is based on the tradition of social liberalism or liberal constitutionalism. Accordingly, security politics stems from the concentration and centralization of executive power within the order of law and politics in an unusual way. The second approach, which explains security politics as the suspension of law, moves with the Schmittian concept of the state. In this second case, executive power, as the state's fundamental function, and its main ground, disrupts the normal flow of law in-order to protect the ordinary status of the law. As a third approach, the article signifies that it is possible to reconceptualize law as a technique of political administration, instead of relying on the distinction between ordinary law and the state of exception, and elaborates on its political implications‟ capacity to exceed security politics.

Introduction: Theoretical Contexts for Security Reconceptualizations since 1990.- Introduction: Globalization and Environmental Challenges: Reconceptualizing Security in the 21st Century.- Security as Attributes of Social Systems.- The Conceptual Quartet:Security, Peace, Development and Environment and its Dyadic Linkages.- Conceptual Quartet: Security and its Linkages with Peace, Development, and Environment.- Peace and Security: Two Evolving Concepts and Their Changing Relationship.- Peace and Environment: Towards a Sustainable Peace as Seen From the South.- Underdevelopment and Human Insecurity: Overcoming Systemic, Natural, and Policy Risk.- Emergent Sustainability: The Concept of Sustainable Development in a Complex World.- Development and Security: Genealogy and Typology of an Evolving International Policy Area.- Security and Environment Linkages Revisited.- Philosophical, Ethical and Religious Contexts for Conceptualizations of Security.- Oriental, European, and Indigenous Thinking on Peace in Latin America.- Security in Hinduism and Buddhism.- Security in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese Philosophy and Ethics.- Security in Confucian Thought: Case of Korea.- Security in Japanese History, Philosophy and Ethics: Impact on Contemporary Security Policy.- Thinking on Security in Hinduism: Contemporary Political Philosophy and Ethics in India.- Human Security in Jewish Philosophy and Ethics.- From Homer to Hobbes and Beyond - Aspects of' security' in the European Tradition.- Security Conceptualization in Arab Philosophy and Ethics and Muslim Perspectives.- Security in African Philosophy and Historical Ideas.- Security in Latin American Philosophy, Ethics, and History of Ideas.- The Brazilian View on the Conceptualization of Security: Philosophical, Ethical and Cultural Contexts and Issues.- Spatial Context and Referents of Security Concepts.- Securitization of Space and Referent Objects.- Structural Setting for Global Environmental Politics in a Hierarchic International System: A Geopolitical View.- Global Environmental Change and Human Security.- Globalization and Security: The US 'Imperial Presidency': Global Impacts in Iraq and Mexico.- Globalization from Below: Social Movements and Altermundism - Reconceptualizing Security from a Latin American Perspective.- Security Regionalism in Theory and Practice.- Identity-based Security Threats in a Globalized World: Focus on Islam.- Security and Sovereignty.- Subordinate, Subsumed and Subversive: Sub-national Actors as Referents of Security.- Non-state Based Terrorism and Security.- Agents of Insecurity in the Andes: Transregional Crime and Strategic Relations.- Re-conceptualizing Security Research with Individual Level Data.- Reconceptualization of Security in Scientific Disciplines since 1990.- Quest for International Security: Benefits of Justice versus the Trappings of Paranoia.- Security in International Law Since 1990.- Human Security from the Standpoint of an Economist.- The Concept of Security in International Relations.- Security in Peace Research and Security Studies.- Reconceptualizing Dimensions of Security (Debates since 1990).- Security: The State (of) Being Free From Danger?.- From a Security towards a Survival Dilemma.- The Changing Agenda of Military Security.- Political Security, an Uncertain Concept with Expanding Concerns.- Economic Security.- The Changing Agenda of Societal Security.- Environmental Security Deconstructed.- Institutional Security Concepts Revisited for the 21st Century.- Human Security and the UN Security Council.- Evolution of the United Nations Security Concept: Role of the High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges, and Change.- Security, Development and UN Coordination.- Reconceptualization of Security in the CSCE and OSCE.- The Comprehensive Security Concept of the European Union.- Reconceptualization of External Security in the European Union since 1990.- Democracy and European Justice and Home Affairs Policies from the Cold War to September 11.- From a European Security Community to a Secure European Community Tracing the New Security Identity of the EU.- EU Policy Coherence on Security and Development A New Agenda for Research and Policy-making.- From Obsession to Oblivion: Reconceptualization of Security in NATO since 1990.- NATO's Role in the Mediterranean and Broader Middle East Region.- German Action Plan: Civilian Crisis Prevention, Conflict Resolution and Peace Consolidation - A Reconceptualization of Security.- Interfaces between Development and Security: Converging the Role of Development Policy and Security Policy?.- Reconceptualizing Regional Security for the 21st Century.- European Security in the 21st Century: An Institutional Perspective.- Regionalization of Great Power Security - Near Abroad, Broader Middle East, and European Neighbourhood.- A Regional Security Perspective From and For the Arab World.- ECOWAS and Regional Security Challenges.- A Regional Security Perspective from and for the Horn of Africa.- Regional Security in Southern Africa Development Community: Perspectives on Security Challenges.- The Security Problematique in South Asia: Alternative Conceptualizations.- Security Debates in East Asia since the End of the Cold War.- China and the New International Security Agenda.- Security in the New Millennium: A Debate in the South Pacific on Peace and Security: Alternative Formulations in the Post Cold War Era.- Security on the American Continent: Challenges, Perceptions, and Concepts.- Towards an Ethical Framework for Security.- Reconceptualizing Security and Alternative Security Futures.- Prediction in Security Theory and Policy.- Climate Change and Security in the 21st Century.- Global Security: Learning from Possible Futures.- Role of Prediction in Sustainable Development and Disaster Management.- Summary and Conclusions.- Reconceptualizing Security in the 21st Century: Conclusions for Research and Policy-making.

The purpose of the research is to define the political security concept in conditions of modern threats to international security. The relevance of political security study is confirmed by the lack of conceptualisation of this concept by social and political sciences. There is a need to define this concept in today's conditions in connection with the changes taking place in the world, particularly in the political arena. Political security concerns the organisational stability of public administration, their systemic governance and the ideology that legitimises. The research results found that the concept of political security is still poorly understood; approaches to its definition are changing following the transformation of general views on political science and need clarification and additions. The findings found that the relationship between political security and humanitarian intervention was closely linked. It has been identified that one of the critical threats to international security today remains state repression, systematic human rights abuses and militarization, which necessitates a focus on political security. It is substantiated that this discussion's nature has changed in both theoretical and practical dimensions due to the changing political environment of security. It is argued that political security, humanitarian intervention, and the right to protection remain a vital part of the international community's discourse and practice. The new policy of protection against humanitarian crises is permeated by differences over the right to intervene and protect. The transformations of threats in the international political arena and the changing nature of the concept of security demonstrate the anachronism of the definition of political security, as new challenges to global security are emerging every day.

Today many European citizens and also many migrants into Europe live under fear and anxiety. Existing political structures dichotomize the two sets of insecurities and thus contribute to perpetuate them. This chapter proposes contributions from human security analysis to complement and extend human rights thinking in relation to migration. First, the authors outline human security analysis, and the potential complementarity with human rights. Second, they discuss the migration crisis felt in Europe and some reasons behind it. Third, they consider the responses of securitization and militarization at the EU’s southern borders. Fourth, they analyse why the EU migration policy system, conceived outside of a conception of common human security, produces negative feedbacks and is counterproductive. Fifth, they then suggest how a human security perspective may frame, balance and contribute in migration policy and practice. Finally, the authors review the partial reflection of such a perspective in the 2018 Global Compact on Migration.

Human security in its modern form emerged as a post-Cold War proposal by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in 1994 and later by the Commission on Human Security Report in 2003, to confront threats that had been overlooked by conventional state-centered conceptions of national, military and territorial security. It sought to address risks faced by individuals and communities such as environmental hazards, poverty, global infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, violent conflicts within states (not only between states), food and water scarcity, violence against women, or transnational organized crime. Building on the original 1945 objectives of the United Nations (UN) of people living free from fear and free from want and free to live in dignity, and looking at the different types of threats people confront, the UNDP proposed seven main forms of human security: health security, economic security, environmental security, community security, political security, personal security and food security. It placed human rights as one of its core pillars and advocated for a person-centered approach to dangers and harms which create mutual and interlinked vulnerabilities for persons around the world.

The formation of the State of Israel in 1948 has led to bloody course of events, which continues to this day, as to who has the right to claim the land home; the Palestinian-Arabs (mostly Muslim) or the Jewish (mostly non-Arab residents). The Israel-Palestine conflict is one of the most violent and bloodiest protracted conflict in the post World War II era, which has resulted in massive human casualties and human rights abuses for decades. The numerous wars in conjunction with the rise of militant groups like Hezbollah and Hamas have led to the development of a human security dilemma in Palestine and Israel. Decades of violence and destruction have resulted in massive human casualties, political chaos and disruption to the way of life of the people in the region. The concept of human security began to enter mainstream human rights, security and international politics debate, more prominently, after the release of the 1994 report United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report on Human Development. The report is essentially explicit manifestations of the human rights principles enshrined in the 1948 United Nations Declaration of Humans Rights (UNDHR). Human security pushes for intense promotion and greater respect for human life in all spheres of human endeavors. This article inspects the human security dimension present in the Israel-Palestine conflict. This article encompasses two major parts. The first part provides an external understanding of how human security principles can be applied to Israel- Palestine conflict and how it affects the possibility of peace. Secondly, the article addresses the question on how people ‘inside’ the conflict view human security and the possibility of peace.

This study aims to explain how climate change can affect various aspects of global security issues such as increasing global temperatures, extreme weather, and decreasing availability of clean water, which can trigger global security issues such as conflict and mass migration. In addition, this study also aims to identify climate change from the perspective of human security. This research uses a qualitative approach with descriptive methods. The research results show that climate change can become a global threat where shortages of water, food, and natural disasters will force the population of a nation to make every effort to fulfill their needs, including migrating. This of course can lead to conflicts such as the conflicts that occurred in Africa and South Asia. From a human security perspective, the issue of climate change also makes people feel insecure, especially in the seven areas of security, namely economic security, food security, health security, environmental security, individual security, community security, and political security. This of course will also have an impact on global security. Lastly, decisive action is needed to deal with climate change, considering the magnitude of the risks at stake, including forcing countries to obey and comply through the UN security council.