Human Security Paradigm Research Articles

Disaster, risk and conducting human security research in Southeast Asia

PurposeTyphoons, storm surges and sea-level rise pose major risks to life and livelihoods in Southeast Asia and demand state-level action. However, the prominence and frequency of these symptomatic disasters often divert attention from underlying systemic and situational issues. The purpose of this paper is a normative and conceptual one. It makes the case for a grounded and disaggregated human security approach for decoding complex relationships of risk, power, politics, inequality and mistrust that underpin problems we seek to address.Design/methodology/approachThis paper’s approach situates the emergence of the human security paradigm and its connections to human development, sustainable economic growth and rights-based protections in historical context. It then draws on observations across the region over a number of years combined with a review of relevant research to detail how the vulnerability and exposure to disaster of at-risk communities extend beyond random or natural events. Having established that a focus on the immediate characteristics of disaster limits our frames of reference and the utility of subsequent responses, it proceeds to analyse the political, environmental and economic drivers amplifying exposure to disaster in Southeast Asia.FindingsThe findings reveal that the vulnerability and insecurity experienced by at-risk communities are not wholly random or exclusively the result of natural, unavoidable events. Exposure to disasters is also shaped by various situational factors, including habitat loss, dispossession, displacement, marginalisation and limited opportunities. Incorporating a more holistic human security perspective can bring into focus the less visible forces and interests that amplify vulnerability to hazard risk for affected individuals and communities in the region.Originality/valueThis is an original paper that underscores the conceptual and methodological importance of a grounded and disaggregated human security approach to grasp the disaster-prone territories of risk in contemporary Southeast Asia and for advancing appropriate responses.

Global Governance, Human Security, and unpko s

Abstract The process of international organization has fundamentally, even though not exclusively, been to address the problem of interstate war. The institutionalization of multilateral security cooperation at the global level, under first the League of Nations (albeit a false dawn), and more recently and successfully, the UN system, has contributed significantly to the resolution of existing conflicts and the generation of a more peaceful international society. UN peacekeeping operations (unpko s), viewed traditionally as forces placed between parties to a conflict with the aim of preventing future breakdowns of peace and security, have played a major part. International organization can further, however, be seen as a transitional process from the international anarchic conditions which generate conflict, towards the aspiration of global governance, whereby states are actively brought together to solve common problems, reconcile conflicting interests, and generate collective good. At the intersection of the three pillars of the UN (Security, Development, and Human Rights), we find the concept of human security, which, despite being essentially contested, has become increasingly prominent not only at the organisation, but also in terms of policy prescription for other actors. This human-centring in global governance has impacted unpko s through a more complex role for peacekeepers, including, but not limited to, the expansion of conditions under which deadly force may be used, the protection of civilians and vulnerable groups in conflict affected societies, and peacebuilding, even state-building activities. These developments are not without their critics. This article, therefore, addresses first the evolution of the human security paradigm within the UN’s global governance mission. It then turns to the growing impact of human security upon unpko s. This is followed by areas of contestation and challenges to human-centred peace promotion. Finally, the article concludes with policy prescription for better operationalisation of human security at the UN and through its pko s.

HUMAN SECURITY PARADIGM: IMPLICATIONS OF THE US-CHINA STRATEGIC CONFLICT IN WESTERN PACIFIC

Western Pacific region is extremely important owing to its political, economic, and geo-strategic importance. For decades, the region has witnessed the hegemony of the USand its strong collaboration with multiple states of Far East. However, the recent rise of China regarding political influence, economic development, and military might have posed challenges to the US hegemonic designs increasing the prospects for a strategic conflict. The resulting surge in China’s assertiveness has also fuelled hostile emotions among states. This paper explores the ramifications of emerging strategic conflict between the US and China using the Human Security Paradigm (HSP). By employing qualitative research method paper articulates that the implications of strategic conflict in Far East can be a challenge to national interests of the US. Given the different nature of human security issues and their propensity to exacerbate the conflict, the paper advocates using preventive measures when dealing with human security problems.

Forming connections between security sector reform and sustainable development: The potential of the human security paradigm

Many interlinkages already exist between security and development, despite the fact they traditionally maintained separate bodies of literature and compartmentalized presence in policymaking. This introductory article to the special issue seeks to provide guidance on how to bridge the gap between Security Sector Reform (SSR) and Sustainable Development Goals. It focuses on the nexus between the two concepts particularly SDG-16 devoted to effective, accountable and inclusive institutions. It argues that the human security paradigm provides the most rewarding approach for bridging the gap between these two, as it centres the focus on the human element of these two endeavours. It first provides an overview of the security-development nexus, followed by a discussion of the commonalities and differences between SSR and SDG-16 specifically, outlining how human security provides a better connection between the two. It concludes that the bottom-up and multistakeholder approaches of the human security paradigm and its context-specific perspective ensure that the SSR missions and attainment of the SDG-16 targets will be more effective and efficient.

Militarisation and State Capacity in Zimbabwe: The Limits of the Human Security Paradigm

ABSTRACT This article uses the case of Zimbabwe to explore the interface between militarisation and state capacity, and through that critique the emancipatory potential of the human security concept. It argues that militarisation undermines state capacity to provide emancipatory security as envisioned in the human security concept. A militarised state is severely incapacitated and challenged to deliver emancipatory security because it lacks the functional capacity and legitimacy of a state that is capable of safeguarding the security of the individual. The Zimbabwean case shows how the nature of the struggle for the country's independence conditioned the political elite's siege mentality and concomitant predisposition to use militarisation to safeguard their interests while ignoring those of the broader citizenry. By underscoring the adverse effects of militarisation on state capacity and legitimacy, the Zimbabwean case reinforces critiques of the state-centric approach of the human security concept, which severely constraints the latter's emancipatory potential.

COVID-19 & Problematics of Global Health Security

COVID-19 illustrates our fragile and precarious global health security. Global health governance has failed miserably to ensure health security. This study examines the problematics of health security. The findings reveal that the problem lies in the conception of health security. A narrow understanding of the term "security" has been used to define and implement health security at the national and global levels, based on the Westphalian legacy of protecting countries against external public health threats through many emergency measures. Nationalistic and sovereign norms constantly stand in the way of collaboration among states. The problem is primarily interpretation, acceptability, and implementation of the concept. This study recommends that health security be redefined from a human security paradigm. As a second step, revamp the global health governance regime through de-politicization of WHO, constructing a pandemic treaty and making 'health security a priority.

Strengthening Human Security Through Biosecurity: A Road to Resilient Global Health Mechanism

For global health, the COVID-19 situation presents unique difficulties and possibilities. The most disappointing aspect of the problem is that we do not have a global health apparatus to guarantee our people's safety. The global health system, predicated on the concept of human security, has, to a certain extent, failed to ensure the security of people's lives. When it comes to the threat that COVID-19 poses, there is a form of balance on a worldwide basis between under-developed and developed governments about the fact that no one is secure. The Covid-19 pandemic has completely transformed the concept of human security. The term "global health" refers to more than only the safety of one's health. This research helps to reveal the conceptual and analytical ambiguity of the human security paradigm, focusing on enhancing human security by using the biosecurity paradigm as a policy cover. Further, this research paves the way to understand the concept of human security with new dimensions.

The liberation culture and missed opportunities for security sector reform in Zimbabwe: 1980–2018

ABSTRACT This article analyses the roles of key liberation war actors in shaping the new security regime in Zimbabwe. This is done through analysing the trajectory of the security sector reforms (SSR) and the missed opportunities for transformation since 1980. The post 1980 security establishment was dominated by the logistical posturing of the liberation war security structures. This allowed for the infusion of the exile formed liberation culture values that evolved during war-time governance practices. SSR in the country remained deliberately skewed towards technical capacity building, without attempts to align the security provision with the universal human rights doctrine. The findings show that the partisan oriented SSR approach has contributed to the elusive human security paradigm in the country.

The South African security predicament: making sense of the objective realities

This article reflects an effort to make sense of the objective realities of the SouthAfrican security predicament. The objective realities on the security agenda are rootedin the practical reality of experience and are open for public discussion, debate andspeculation. These realities are informed by the threats facing South Africans on adaily basis. Government provides security with subjective content to the extent thatpolitical power demarcates the threat agenda, prioritises the items on the threat agenda,and foots the security bill. Since the creation of the Union in 1910, South Africa hashad to find a balance between the security realities emanating from three key securitydomains – irrespective of the ruling entity: security threats from outside Africa, thosethreats facing the country from within Africa, and security threats from within theborders of South Africa. The article aims at a scholarly demarcation of some of the mostcritical, important, and key features of the South African security agenda using thesethree domains as a framework for discussion. On a secondary level, the discussion alsocritically reflects on the ability of the human security paradigm to address the SouthAfrican security predicament.

Understanding the Global Challenges to Accessing Appropriate Wheelchairs: Position Paper.

Introduction: Appropriate wheelchairs are often essential for the health and wellbeing of people with mobility impairments to enhance fundamental freedoms and equal opportunity. To date, provision has mainly focused on just delivering the wheelchair instead of following an evidence-based wheelchair service delivery process. In addition, many governments have not committed to a national wheelchair provision policy. Approach: To prepare this position paper, a systemic development model, founded on the sustainable human security paradigm, was employed to explore the global challenges to accessing appropriate wheelchairs. Positions: I: Consideration of key perspectives of wheelchair provision across the life course is essential to meet the needs to children, adults, older people and their families; II: Comprehensive wheelchair service delivery processes and a competent workforce are essential to ensure appropriate wheelchair service provision; III: Evaluations on wheelchair product quality development, performance and procurement standards are key as wheelchair product quality is generally poor; IV: Understanding the economic landscape when providing wheelchairs is critical. Wheelchair funding systems vary across jurisdictions; V: Establishing wheelchair provision policy is a key priority, as specific policy is limited globally. Conclusion: The vision is to take positive action to develop appropriate and sustainable wheelchair service provision systems globally, for me, for you, for us.

Apuntes sobre la seguridad fronteriza en la frontera México-Estados Unidos ante la movilidad humana y desde el paradigma de la seguridad humana

The objective of this paper is to make an initial approach to both the human security paradigm and the issues of border security and migration at the northern Mexican border. The approach is conceptual and arises from Geography for peace, a perspective that articulates the approaches of critical geography (political geography from political economy and geographical historical materialism), human rights, and peace studies and conflicts transformation. The conclusions focus on proposing a paradigm shift in border security, moving from a national security approach focused on the State, to one focused on people and their rights, and is guided by the principle of shared responsibility. Despite being an initial approach, the text seeks to promote a paradigm shift, to in future work, provide concrete strategies and lines of action that contribute to materialize the human security approach at the borders of Mexico.

Building Security through Insecurity: The Nigerian Military and Counter-Violence Campaigns in the Fourth Republic

Since independence on October 1, 1960, Nigeria has been a victim, at one time or the other, of intra-ethnic, inter-ethnic, religious, and communal conflicts which have undermined the human security of her citizens. Nigeria’s corporate existence had also been threatened by 3 years (1967–1970) civil war which impacted negatively on the well-being of its people. In addition, the inability of the Nigerian Police to cope with the magnitude of the surge of violence in recent years has brought about the idea of involving the military, a core component of traditional security apparatus to deal with internal insecurity. This article is anchored on human security paradigm with reliance on secondary data to analyze the operations of the Nigerian Military in counterviolence campaigns between 1999 and 2017. This article points out that the involvement of the military in internal security has worsened the problem of insecurity due to the military’s unprofessional approach and, at times, deliberate targeting the civilian populace which it is supposed to protect. It, therefore, recommends among others, the need for the Federal Government of Nigeria to urgently review the role of the armed forces in addressing internal security situations in a way that will bring about respect for the rule of engagement in internal security operations and adherence to global best practices.

Political contestation within the human security paradigm: the state and indigenous rights in Peru and Chile

ABSTRACT This article develops the concept indigenous human security to highlight consequential contestation over the meaning and deployment of the concept of human security towards indigenous populations. Using the case illustrations of Peru and Chile, we show how state policies may at times work in congruence with the human security of the general population, but create distinct and often overlooked insecurities for indigenous populations. We find states selectively implement human security to preserve existing governance and development patterns by utilising laws, policies, and state institutions that were not completely dismantled as part of the country’s democratisation efforts.

The Role of Universities in Shaping a Safe Environment

The human and social security paradigm has been developed and shaped at different levels in various countries and political regions as a result of their diverse development of civilisation. Security in all spheres of social life has become a paradigm of the present and the future and, following its creation, has caused mental changes in the human value system. The system of values developed at universities, in terms of peaceful coexistence, tolerance, respect for the canons of law, and environmental protection, is becoming an interpretation of the quality of human life. This means that universities, regardless of their educational and scientific research profiles, are actively involved in building security in their micro- and macro-environment in the short and long term. The social responsibility of universities to shape a safe environment consists in including the following in the content of education and in the system of values of graduates: human rights, assumptions of humanitarianism, ethics, tolerance, environmental protection, respect for the law, shaping pro-social attitudes, and many others arising from the challenges of the present and future.

Education and the Humanitarian Space: Is there a Dissonance between Military Education and Military Practice?

Crossing the domains of foreign policy, defence policy and gender theory, this paper focuses on education and the humanitarian space, specifically, an analysis of whether there is a dissonance between military education and military practice in an Irish context. The paper argues that Irish Defence Forces' activity as peacekeepers can be framed within the human security paradigm, aligned with a national perception of self as good global citizens, and can reasonably be characterised as humanitarian. In this context, the paper argues that the human security paradigm offers a cosmopolitan, agency-oriented, feminist perspective on the humanitarian space and should prompt a re-examination of the gendered nature of the concepts of peace, peacekeeping and ‘citizenship in practice’. The paper concludes positing that a theory-practice gap exists between military education and military practice in an Irish context, and suggests a re-orientation of military education programmes to include a more feminist, cosmopolitan perspective.

The Human Security Implications of Migration on Zimbabwean Migrant Women in South Africa

A large number of people enter the South African borders legally and illegally from Zimbabwe in pursuit of secure, better living conditions. Amongst those people are women. This paper argues that most of the women who migrate to South Africa escape from insecurity in Zimbabwe, only to be confronted with other human security challenges in South Africa. The paper presents an overview of the theoretical framework of the human security paradigm, which helps to unpack how the experiences of Zimbabwean migrant women can be labelled as forms of insecurity. Using qualitative data, the paper discusses the possible human insecurity aspects that force the women to leave their home country and the challenges that they encounter in the host country. The findings of the paper indicate that economic insecurity and poverty highly influence the decisions and choices for migration for most of the women. However, the women's expectations of better lives and human security appear to contradict their social experiences. The migrant women face multiple forms of discrimination and violence that are constructed around their identities as women, non-citizens and black Africans. Cumulatively, most of the women experience gender-based violence and discrimination from South African citizens, foregrounded in xenophobic sentiments. Therefore, this paper reaches the conclusion that migrant women are victims of the compounded trauma of insecurities, as many of them would have encountered human insecurity consequences in their home country.

Water Rights in China and India: A Human Security Perspective

The article explores the paramount human rights and development crisis facing China and India—water scarcity. Both countries are facing alarming water shortages that are exacerbated by dangerous pollution levels, population growth, and climate change impacts such as drought, elevated water-borne disease episodes, flooding, and salt-water intrusion. Millions of citizens in China and India are deprived of safe, clean water in their environment, which threatens healthy socio-economic development. Through the perspective of the human security paradigm, the article analyzes the water security scenario in each country.

The African Union Non-Indifference Stance: Lessons from Sudan and Libya

The legal and policy documents of the African Union (AU) are founded on a human security paradigm that obliges the continental body to maintain a non-indifference stance on human rights abuses. This doctrine of non-indifference departs from the state-centric security principle of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which gave excessive privileges to state elites. Although the AU has intervened to address security challenges in the continent, misgivings persist that the continental body’s interventions continually favor state regimes at the expense of the human rights of ordinary citizens. Adducing the cases of the AU’s responses to the conflicts in Sudan (2004–07) and Libya (2011), this article examines the credibility of the AU’s non-indifference stance to gross human rights violations. The study contends that the undue influence of state regimes on the AU’s initiatives as well as its limited capacity for intervention raise doubts on the continental body’s purported transition from a state-centric framework to a human security paradigm.

English

This paper draws attention to the new geopolitical dynamics of the Afar-Horn states in the Post Cold War period with respect to its effects on sub regional human insecurity (among the Afar people) in the Afar-Horn. Contrary to hitherto held assumptions about the nature of conflict in the Horn region as central of inter-state relations, the Post Cold War period has brought the Afar people in three political constellations that set the condition for the continuity of old local conflicts and the rise of new ones that in sum caused Human insecurity among the Afar. This underscores the dialectical interpenetrations and complex overlap of local, regional and global actors, issues, interests and contexts that harden the thrust of insecurity on the Afar commons. Accordingly, this study seeks to discern the cultural, structural and direct violence induced human insecurities in the Afar-Horn from the vintage point of the mutual causation of geopolitics and human security. Issues like inter-state war, ports, insurgency, political Islam and terrorism in the Afar Horn states hitherto examined by many academics within the state/national/militaristic security theoretical purview or limited to certain aspects are analyzed within human security paradigm and at comprehensive scope. Therefore, the study provides the nexus between spatial variations of human security and geopolitics of the Afar-Horn. In so doing, the pragmatic collection and analyses of primary and secondary sources is done within the triangulate theoretical construction human security, international relations and peace building. Thus, the claims, self- perpetuation of local and sub-regional violent conflicts in the Afar-Horn are the results of compartmentalized and diachronic orientations of action and reflection that got be addressed in synchronized manner with the bigger picture of the Afar-Horn and its multi-tired contexts. Key words: Afar, Issa-Afar, Afar-Horn, human security, geopolitics.

The Praxis of Social Enterprise and Human Security: An Applied Research Agenda

The growth of social enterprise within development NGO work might lead one to suspect it has been irredeemably corrupted by neo-liberal capitalism. However, using the tools of capitalism is not the same as subscribing to the values of capitalism. This paper is situated at the intersection of five fields: human security, international development, social enterprise, social franchising, and left-wing anti-capitalist thought. It examines the relevance of social en­terprise to human security and to development, the relationship between social enterprise and the anti-capitalist values of the left, and it then focuses on social franchising—a subset of social enterprise that highlights the importance of cooperation—suggesting that it may be a useful methodology for NGOs carrying out educational work in parts of the developing world. It syn­thesises and extends ideas that I have presented elsewhere [1-3], it draws on ethnographic fieldwork on the Thai-Burma border, and it puts forward an agenda for further applied research that is rooted in a sociological analysis of civil society and contributes to the human security paradigm.