Human security thoery and it,s implications - Essay Example

Human Security Theory and its Implications The term human security can be regarded as the latest in a long line of attempts to produce a paradigm for international security based upon more than the traditional military/diplomatic systems that have existed for centuries. As the article suggests, human security is something that "everyone is for" but that "few people have a clear idea of what it means." The concept appears to mean security in the broadest sense of the word. Thus physical security - in the form of being free form attacks etc.

is included within it - but also "psychological well-being". This idea leads to the fact that economic, social, political and cultural change needs to occur in developing countries so that the more traditional security of all can be ensured. The difference from traditional security is that the causes of conflict, such as economic inequality, are addressed. Achievements of those countries who adhere to the principles of human security, which include Canada, have succeeded in a number of practical ways, with the ban on anti-personnel mines and the new International Court as examples.

There is a growing movement which seeks to suggests that as the United Nations stated in 1994, "the concept of security has for too long been interpreted narrowly" as the protection from physical aggression for individual countries, and thus the protection of their borders. In the global sense, the threat from possibilities such as nuclear war has been regarded as security. Human security is a massive and broad concept: a threat to it can be regarded as "any kind of unexpected or irregular discomfort".

Some more concrete definition is needed. The United Nations has defined human security in the following manner, It is made up of seven specific elements, including economic, food, health, environmental, personal, community and political security. Individual governments choose to concentrate on particular elements of the security that are most suitable, or some would suggest politically expedient, for their own purposes. The Japanese have taken on the whole definition, while the Canadians have limited human security to "freedom from pervasive threats to people's rights, safety and lives".

In many ways the broader definitions of human security need a worldwide change in political and economic systems. This security would require a change from a Capitalistic system in which there are bound to be massive disparities between the various groups and countries to one based more upon socialist equality. To conclude, human security is an interesting paradigm that has yet to be fully defined, and seems unlikely to really be implemented because it would mean a massive shift form the present world dynamic of some countries being dominant and the rest being submissive.

The idea that no-one will be completely safe until everyone is safe is an attractive one however - it is despair and lack of opportunity that often leads to conflict. ____________________________________