Engendering Human Security

Publisher description

This book provides seven studies that address major issuessuch as the human rights and human security nexus, gender aspectsof human security, ethical and environmental challenges, humansecurity as a basic element for a policy framework, the humansecurity agenda developed by the Human Security Network, anddebates on human security within the United Nations. Building on its variety of themes, the book takes account ofthe complexity and scope of the concept of human security, andproposes thereby to refresh and enrich discussion Contributors are internationally renowned experts in thedifferent subfields of human security Offers an overview of current trends and insights on what is atstake if the international community is to maintain the momentumcreated a few years ago when the concept of human securityemerged Designed to help both newcomers and experts in the field ofhuman security Readers will find inspiration in the new developments of aconcept that aims to shape practical action to meet the needs ofthe most vulnerable

This book examines the roots of human security, connecting its origins to its applications and challenges in war and peacetime.

The word security has a military connotation and refers to the activities involved in protecting or defending a country, in which the State has a central role. This book argues that the State provides as well as threatens security, and that by broadening the concept of security to include both military and non-military threats such as those related to ecological, social, economic and political causes, a system of checks and balances can be introduced to regulate the State.

There is a real security gap in the world today. Millions of people in regions like the Middle East or East and Central Africa or Central Asia where new wars are taking place live in daily fear of violence. Moreover new wars are increasingly intertwined with other global risks the spread of disease, vulnerability to natural disasters, poverty and homelessness. Yet our security conceptions, drawn from the dominant experience of World War II and based on the use of conventional military force, do not reduce that insecurity; rather they make it worse. This book is an exploration of this security gap. It makes the case for a new approach to security based on a global conversation- a public debate among civil society groups and individuals as well as states and international institutions. The chapters follow on from Kaldors path breaking analysis of the character of new wars in places like the Balkans or Africa during the 1990s. The first four chapters provide a context; they cover the experience of humanitarian intervention, the nature of American power, the new nationalist and religious movements that are associated with globalization, and how these various aspects of current security dilemmas have played out in the Balkans. The last three chapters are more normative, dealing with the evolution of the idea of global civil society, the relevance of just war theory in a global era, and the concept of human security and what it might mean to implement such a concept. This book will appeal to all those interested in issues of peace and conflict, in particular to students of politics and international relations.

Written by diplomatic practitioners, Human Security and the New Diplomacy is a straightforward account of challenges already overcome and the prospect for further progress. From the evolution of peace-keeping, to peacebuilding, humanitarian intervention, war-affected children, international humanitarian law, the International Criminal Court, the economic agendas of conflict, transnational crime, and the emergence of connectivity and a global civil society, the authors offer new insights into the importance of considering these issues as part of a single agenda. Human Security and the New Diplomacy is a case-study of a major Canadian foreign policy initiative and a detailed account of the first phase of the human security agenda. The story of Canada's leading role in promoting a humanitarian approach to international relations, it will be of interest to foreign policy specialists and students alike. Contributors include David Angell, Alan Bones, Michael Bonser, Terry Cormier, Patricia Fortier, Bob Fowler, Elissa Goldberg, Mark Gwozdecky, Sam Hanson, Paul Heinbecker, Eric Hoskins, Don Hubert, David Lee, Dan Livermore, Jennifer Loten, Rob McRae, Valerie Ooterveld, Victor Rakmil, Darryl Robinson, Jill Sinclair, Michael Small, Ross Snyder, Carmen Sorger, and Roman Waschuk.

For some years the nexus of development and security has been a key conceptual and also political issue. The associated debates are wide-ranging, extending from the basic question of the relationship between development and security to the concrete interaction of military and civil actors in a given post-conflict situation. The edited volume seeks to contribute to this debate by considering various dimensions of the subject. The volume compromises contributions from the following authors: Jakkie Cilliers, Mark Duffield, Ann M. Fitz-Gerald, Stephan Klingebiel, Clive Robinson, Necla Tschirgi.

The Sustainable Development Goals were launched in 2015 with grand ambitions for ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring prosperity for all, with ‘no one left behind’. However, these goals will be impossible to achieve without addressing inequity, inequality, marginalisation, and exclusion related to gender, and to other intersecting social hierarchies linked to deeply emotional, culturally bound norms and judgements of worth. This book asks readers to consider issues of knowledge, power, and effectiveness, emphasising the limits of taking a categorical approach to gender and other social hierarchies, and the importance of process in what is known about generating transformative social change. Engendering Transformative Thinking and Practice in International Development draws on a range of real world examples which demonstrate both the limitations of the frameworks currently in use, and the very real possibilities for change when the intersecting social hierarchies that sustain and create inequity and inequality are challenged. This book brings together theoretical perspectives on social change, gender, intersectionality, and forms of knowledge, concluding with a set of proposals for revitalising a change agenda that recognises and engages with intersectionality and practical wisdom. Perfect for students and scholars of social change, gender, and development, this book will also be useful for practitioners looking for new ideas to help to generate social change.