Human Security Concepts - Essay Example

? In section one of the Gender Imperative book the introduced a new definition of human security; it was a different definition from the one that I used to believe in. The author explained that human security should not be solely focused on the military power of a state; it should also focus on the needs of each individual and the interests of all groups (both genders) in the state. In addition, the author indicated that human security contains four important concepts: perfect environment, respect different groups' identities, providing all the basic needs for the community, and protecting citizens from any danger (Reardon and Ash Hans 19-20). In my mind, the concept of human security was shaped by the ideas and concepts from presidents and the media. It is not only about military power and being protected from other nations, as we should not trust the authorities. After reading the first section, I began to view the concept of human security in a different way. Indeed, most security issues nowadays come from domestic groups rather than outsiders. In fact, it is groups of people who are being ignored by the government or not taken seriously that are causing chaos and conflict in the state. For example, the main cause of the Arab Spring revolution was because the people wanted a change to their system and regime. They wanted a change that would provide them with all their basic needs, such as safety and respect. When this change did not happen, or was not accepted by their leaders, people started to rebel against their leaders and this created conflict in the country. In addition, as I included in my QIP reflection of section 1 of the book, the author indicated that to achieve human security patriarchy should be replaced with gender equality. For example, this means allowing women to get involved in making security decisions. Also, the institutions of war must be destroyed (Reardon and Ash Hans 111). I strongly agree with the author that the government should involve women more in making decisions, yet this point is still not being considered. Although some governments are involving more females in their political and foreign affairs, it must be said that they are not taken as seriously as men. In Arab countries, such as the United Arab Emirates, women are not very engaged in the political sphere, yet the government is working hard to involve them more. However, the discrimination against women is not about men and women but it is about the roots of each person's origin. In other words, people who don't have Arab roots might be involved but not as deeply as the local people, where they get the chance to be ambassadors and take higher positions in the political field. In fact, the reason why people who have Iranian roots are not involved in the political system is because of distrust and suspicion that those people may cause conflict in the state. This discrimination increased a lot after the involvement of Iran in the revolution in Bahrain between the Sunnis and Shias. This also caused tension between the Sunnis and Shias in the most of the Gulf countries as well. Not involving women in the political sphere is not only about the idea that men are more powerful than women, it is also about other concepts, such as religion and trust. Moreover, women can find jobs in any other field easier than they do trying to get a job in politics. The teaching notes, A Gendered Analysis of Women, Power, War and Peace, written by Professor Barbara Wien, presented five feminist schools of thoughts: eco-feminism, liberal feminism, post-modernism, radical feminism, and difference feminism. I always heard about feminist schools of thought but I did not know what each one was called and what each stood for. The teaching notes helped me to understand the different feminism schools clearly, and I was impressed by many of the concepts that the schools stand for. For example, when it comes to the liberal feminist school of thought, it supports the fact that women are neither peaceful nor softer than men, but it also says that women and men are equal. As a result, women should be engaged more in military institutions and wars. When it first came to me, I did not like the liberal feminist school of thought because I did not believe that getting women more involved in military institutions would prevent gender discrimination. In fact, I believed that if women got involved in military institutions then they would be exposed to more danger and harm, especially when they are sent to war. There have been many cases of female soldiers being raped and used as a tool of war. Not only this, but liberal feminism claims that women are just as strong as men, yet it cannot prove that human security is the same for women and men. Women connect human security with providing basic needs for survival, while men view human security more about weapons and military power. Moreover, I was really impressed by the ideas of eco-feminism and their concept that the earth is our mother. It says that the earth is a breathing organism and when we damage the earth it gets angry and harms us through causing earthquakes and destruction. I don't really believe in the idea that the earth is a breathing organism and our mother; however, the eco-feminist school of thought makes sense to me for the reason that we need to take care of the earth more by reducing human activities that harm the earth. At the end of the day, it is the place where we are all living in and we must cherish it. When it comes to the Seville Statement readings, it provided many different concepts that are mostly linked together. One of the propositions indicated that all humans have brains and this makes people want to be different from each other. Not only this, but having a brain helps people to think more about their actions and choices; this is what helps us to develop our nations for good purposes. However, as I mentioned in my QIP, having a brain does not mean that every decision and action will be positive. If this was possible, then the world would be in peace and without conflicts. One should understand that the human way of thinking can be affected by different factors, such as education and the surrounding environment. Read More