Chapter 12: SecurityThursday July 30th, 2015

Defining Security:◦ “a relatively low probability of threat or damage to

citizens, government, territory, resources, wealth and even values such as culture or identity”

◦ Security, then, a wide ranging concept

Both security and insecurity can often be imagined and unclear◦ Canadian attitudes towards terrorism◦ American experiences with Boston Marathon attacks

and 9/11

Finding and Defining Security

Geopolitics: “Association between a state’s political relationships and its geographical location”

North America, previous to the modern age, considered relatively safe◦ Ease of travel, impact of computer, internet and

hackers suggests that this could be changing

Security can also be associated with natural resources

Security and Location

“Threats to physical place, person, or group or to important values felt by the community”◦ Individual or group

Variety of threats◦ Violence, military, economic, political, cultural,

environmental Universal insecurity versus local/regional insecurity

Conflict and an anarchic international order

Insecurity and the security dilemma◦ Finite resources in the world

On Insecurity

Is conflict natural?

Conflict and war aren’t synonymous in this case◦ War is actual fighting, conflict is everything but

Clausewitz: War is an extension of politics◦ Must be governed by rules◦ This definition, though, focuses on a response to

insecurity, not aggressiveness

Conflict and Society

Global Peace Index (pg 248)

Significant global divergence of experiences of terrorism around the world◦ Many states in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America

experience terrorism regularly◦ Other European, North American and Australasian

states have experienced it rarely Both 9/11 and fall attacks in Australia and Canada have

changed the interpretation of the threat (rightly or wrongly).

Illegitimate actors◦ Sometimes state-sponsored (…though what this

means is variable as well)

Terrorism

Terrorists are typically politically alienated◦ No trust in the system, no efficacy in the system◦ Only way to be heard and make change is violence

Terrorism can be difficult to stop◦ Can be effective method of changing systems

Responses of democratic states are often antithetical to the expectations of a democratic society◦ Judiciary will often uphold laws of questionable

constitutionality due to general fear of citizens and need to appear legitimate

Terrorism Cont…

Intervention in another state’s affairs to alieve suffering of that state’s citizens◦ What is defined as suffering can lead to abuses◦ The “humanitarianism” of Empire

Takes on a new urgency in aftermath of WW2

The Responsibility to Protect (2005)◦ The government and the individual in the eyes of the UN

What, though, is a legitimate intervention?◦ Certainly to avoid a genocide, but logistical issues◦ More imperialism?

Humanitarianism

Negotiation, Mediation and Arbitration◦ Hard to enforce decisions◦ Also, in the latter case, often no one’s happy

Peacekeeping◦ “Canadian invention”◦ Lightly armed individuals whose role is to ensure

maintenance of a ceasefire (usually ill-equipped to deal with fallout if fighting resumes)

◦ UN sanctioned – local is usually better

International governmental organizations are engaging peacekeeping more regularly.

Overcoming Conflict