Lecture 13: Critical/Non-Traditional Security Studies Flashcards
The Shift in Security Studies
Cold War Focus:
Traditional military/nuclear issues
Alliance politics and crisis management
Post-Cold War Shift:
Broader agenda with an emphasis on environmental issues, resource conflicts, and human security
New Issues:
Role of private security actors, drones, and algorithmic security
Feminist Critique:
Security threats also come from within households or states
Threats not only from violence but also from lack of nutrition, healthcare, and birth control
Example (Afghanistan):
Female deaths during childbirth due to poor healthcare far exceed combat deaths
Discrepancy between funds spent on fighting insurgency vs improving healthcare
Feminist scholarship on security
Women and Security (and those in need of security):
Focuses on how women (and other vulnerable groups like children, the elderly, and minorities) are uniquely impacted by conflict and insecurity.
Highlights issues such as sexual violence in war, displacement, and economic hardship during and after conflict.
Gendered Understandings of Security:
Examines how societal norms shape ideas about security.
Emphasizes that security is not just about states and militaries but also about the everyday safety and well-being of individuals.
Critiques how traditional security narratives often reflect masculine ideals of strength and aggression, while ignoring the experiences and contributions of women.
Human Security
- Shift from state-centered security to a people-centered approach
- Focus on protecting individuals rather than just defending borders
- Emphasizes threats like poverty, disease, and human rights abuses rather than only military threats
- Reflects a broader understanding of what constitutes safety and well-being
- Emerged post-Cold War as global concerns expanded beyond traditional warfare
Environmental Security
- Focuses on environmental risks posed by human activity
- Environmental change can threaten state stability and exacerbate conflict but is rarely a direct cause of war
- Climate change may indirectly fuel issues like terrorism by increasing recruitment from vulnerable populations
- Growing recognition since the 1970s, with heightened focus in the 1990s and early 2000s
The Environment and the Military
- Environmental issues may influence future conflict risks and increase public health-related missions
- Possible implications for military equipment procurement
- Limited evidence of Western militaries adopting greener practices; no evidence for non-Western militaries
- Key distinction between peacetime and wartime environmental policies
The Environment and the War in Ukraine
- War in Ukraine has caused significant environmental damage, including the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka Dam
- Negative impacts on ecosystems, human health, and food production
- Environmental damage can result from both unintended military actions (e.g., shelling) and deliberate strategies (e.g., scorched earth tactics)
- The war also affects water quality, air, soil, and ecosystem services like nutrient recycling
- International governance limitations hinder environmental protection during conflict
- Ukrainian and international environmental agencies are documenting the damage, aiming for reparation and reconstruction post-war
- Kaplan’s “The Coming Anarchy” forecasts conflict driven by environmental instability and migration in the 21st century
Demographics as a Strategic Issue
- Mid-20th century population: 3.5 billion, Early-21st century: 6 billion, Mid-21st century: 10 billion
- Most population growth occurs in the poorest countries and urban areas
- By 2050, 75% of the global population will likely live in urban areas (up from 50% in 2017)
- Challenges for urban planners, government officials, and military institutions
- Megacities may struggle with overtaxed social and basic services, leading to urban squalor and chaos
Darfur and Climate Change
- War in Darfur (Sudan) linked to mass violence and climate change
- Devastating droughts (1970s-1980s) worsened internal problems, especially Arab-African ethnic tensions
- In 2003, tensions led to secessionist attempts repressed violently by the government
- Resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths, over 2.5 million displaced persons
- Peace agreements emphasize resolving conflicts over land and water
- UN-African Union peacekeeping strategies increasingly consider climate change impacts
Climate Change as a Strategic Problem
- Climate change affects submarine detection through changes in underwater sound propagation (key for anti-submarine warfare)
- Warming sea surface temperatures and melting Arctic ice may alter sound patterns, impacting submarine and anti-submarine operations
- Studies show acoustic detection will become harder in most areas, with North Atlantic facing the most difficulty
- Submarines will become less detectable, increasing their role in future warfare, including for striking land targets.
Health Security
- Health security refers to access to healthcare and protection from diseases, including infections, malnutrition, environmental degradation, and lifestyle diseases like circulatory issues and cancer.
- WHO Constitution (1946): “health of all peoples is fundamental to the attainment of peace and security.”
- Historically, health problems were not prioritized in international politics.
- COVID-19 marked a shift in global attention to health security, with widespread mobilization, significant government policy changes, and prioritization of pandemic countermeasures.
- Despite its impact, COVID-19 was only the sixth instance of the WHO declaring a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).
Climate change and security
- Identifying climate change as a security issue is far from universally accepted
- Some leaders deny the existence of a problem
- For other leaders, it is not a security priority compared with more immediate concerns
- Similarly some countries (Russia/China) have argued international attempts to counter climate change, for instance by the UN Security Council, impinge on their sovereign rights of economic development
