In my security essay, I argued that
the definition of security needed to be expanded to include human security. After
looking at various cases of security, I believe this is still the best way to
look at security. If security is thought of as simply threats against the
country, or national security, then a lot of security threats would not be
considered security threats at all. There is a concern with overusing the term
security threat because if everything is called a security threat it loses the
seriousness of the term. However, instances where someone’s human security is
threatened should be considered a security threat. In addition, many of the
threats to human security have an overlap with national security. Two examples
of human security being an important aspect to the security threat are climate
change, more specifically the island nation of Tuvalu, and sex trafficking.
Both of these examples also have an impact on national security.
In
the case of climate change and the Pacific Island nation of Tuvalu, if nothing
is done about the recent rising sea levels the island could completely
disappear. The citizens of this nation therefore would have to leave and
abandon the life they are accustomed to. Leaving their home would mean they
would become refugees and they wouldn’t necessarily know where they would be
living or where they would be getting resources like food and water. These are
both examples of human security because they impact the individual person. Many
of the people who live on the island of Tuvalu rely on fishing and tourism for
their livelihood so if they are forced to relocate they must learn new skills
to work or not have a job which would lead to even more insecurity for their
family. In addition to there being many human security aspects to this case
there is a national security aspect as well. The island itself is going to no
longer exist. This is very similar to a nuclear holocaust, everything that has
been established by this nation will be completely eliminated. There is also a
huge national security risk in terms of unstable government and the countries
receiving the refugees from Tuvalu. In conclusion, the tragic outlook for
Tuvalu is not only a national security threat but also a human security threat
and only focusing on one or the other does not give a complete picture of the
problem.
Another
case where both national security and human security are incredibly important
is sex trafficking. With the estimated number of victims of sex trafficking
around the world, there is not one singular country that is inflicted with this
problem. However, any nation where victims of sex trafficking are brought to,
there are potentially serious public health, border control, and immigration
issues. Since sex trafficking is a virtually silent issue, it is easy to
believe that this issue is not a national security issue because it isn’t seen,
however, it could happen to anyone. In addition, there is a variety of serious
human security issues surrounding this issue, mostly for the victims. They are
forced out of their homes and, in most cases, forced to have sex with
strangers. There are clear violations of rights and concerns in regards to
health and access to food, sanitations, and education. In conclusion, just like
with climate change and Tuvalu, there is a twofold security threat with sex
trafficking in regards to national security and human security.
In
conclusion, when it comes to defining security there are benefits to including
human security in the definition. The overall issue and the seriousness of
issues become significantly more clear when both national security and human
security are considered. Although there is the possibility that eventually the
word security could become so overused that it would lose its meaning. But not
calling these instances security threats have more immediate negative
implications.
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