Understanding Security

Security refers to an absence of objective dangers, i.e. of security ‘threats’, ‘challenges’, ‘vulnerabilities’ and ‘risks’, and of subjective fears or concerns, and to the perception thereof. From a realist perspective, objective security is achieved when the dangers posed by manifold threats, challenges, vulnerabilities and risks are avoided, prevented, managed, coped with, mitigated and adapted to by individuals, societal groups, the state or regional or global international organisations. From a social constructivist approach, security is achieved once the perception and fears of security ‘threats’, ‘challenges’, ‘vulnerabilities’ and ‘risks’ are allayed and overcome. While objective factors in the security perception are necessary, they are not sufficient. Subjective factors influence security perceptions. The perception of security dangers depends on the world views or traditions of the analyst. Broadly speaking, in the tumultuous times of the contemporary era, the concept of security can be divided into - traditional or conventional security and comprehensive security.

Understanding Traditional or Conventional Security

Traditionally speaking, the reference points of security ranges from individual, institutional, regional, and national to international levels.The various strategies to understand security can be clubbed under - Realism, Neoliberalism and Constructivism. Under the realism approach focus is on the nation state and national interests. Survival of the state is pivotal with security and defence policies and militaries being the most crucial. This is often called national security. This can manifestly be seen in securing Indian borders to protect Indian territorial integrity and sovereignty. The neoliberal theorists believe in complex interdependence and interconnectedness of the nations. They stress the security relevance of international cooperation and institutions. They are the proponents of international security. This can be seen in the efforts of United Nation security council and the United Nations. Lastly, the constructivist school believes that security itself is socially constructed implying that perceptions of security vary among actors and across time and space. This is often referred to as Global Security. The concept of national security, international security and global security comprise of traditional or conventional school of thought on security. Efforts towards preserving humanity, humanism and human values like love, benevolence etc. can be clubbed under this head. However, comprehensive security dimension extends beyond the conventional or traditional dimension.

Understanding Comprehensive Society

Comprehensive security is conceptualised as an approach towards security issues which is broader than the traditional realist concept and includes firstly, human security that consists of economic security, food security, health security, personal security, community security and political security. Secondly, environmental security that seeks to include the dimension of environmental degradation into the concept of national security. In this context, “environment” is mostly defined as a “physical and biological system,” to clearly distinguish it from areas such as politics, economics or societal issues. However, proponents of the concept of environmental security often stress the interaction of political, economic, and environmental matters as well as their combined influence on security. Finally, social security is a concept that is closely linked to constructivism. This concept has mainly been developed by the so called ‘Copenhagen School’. The pivotal points in this concept are collective identities of societies which share a common ‘we-feeling’. Societal security is about large, self-sustaining identity groups and this group need not necessarily be the state but can also be a group of people who share a common identity. A comprehensive security concept is one in which security is recognised as a subject that goes beyond the traditional realist state-centric and military approach. The term "comprehensive security" was coined in political and academic circles in Western Europe during the 1980s. Both, the academics as well as the policymakers, were seeking an approach to security which was broader and deeper than the realist notion of security.

Summing Up

Thus, comprehensive security is a concept that goes beyond the narrow realist state-centric approach. In other words, all of the different theories, concepts, and models, which broaden and widen the notion of security, might be part of a comprehensive understanding of security. Today, to secure the borders of the country using surveillance, arms and ammunitions is not the only dimension of security but it extends to further dimensions such as providing social, human and environmental security besides conventional society.