- Terrorism – Violence to spread fear and force political change.
- Human Rights Violations – Abuse of rights creates insecurity in states.
- Poverty, Population & Inequality – Cause economic weakness and social unrest.
- Migration & Refugees – Wars and disasters force migration, creating tensions.
- Health & Environment – Epidemics and climate change threaten global human security.
Key Points
Key Points: What is Security?
- Security means freedom from serious threats to a country’s core values.
- Not every problem is a security threat; only extreme dangers qualify.
- Security focuses on threats that can cause irreparable damage.
- An overly broad view of security would make life fear-driven and paralysed.
- Ideas of security change over time and differ across societies.
Key Points: Traditional Notions of Security (External)
- Focuses mainly on military threats from other countries.
- The main danger is to a nation’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.
- War and military action directly endanger soldiers and ordinary citizens.
- Governments respond through deterrence (preventing war) and defence (fighting war).
- Balance of power is maintained.
- Alliance building helps states increase military strength and security.
- Security threats are seen as external.
Key Points: Internal
- Focuses not only on external threats but also internal peace and order.
- A country cannot be secure if it faces violence or instability within its borders.
- After World War II, internal security seemed less important for major powers like the US and USSR.
- Newly independent countries in Asia and Africa faced serious internal threats.
- These included civil wars, separatist movements, and ethnic conflicts.
- Internal and external threats often overlapped, with neighbours sometimes supporting internal rebels.
- Since 1945, most armed conflicts worldwide have been internal.
Key Points: Traditional Security and Cooperation
- Traditional security accepts that cooperation can limit violence and war.
- War should be used only as a last resort.
- Force must be limited and civilians/non-combatants should not be harmed.
- Disarmament and arms control are key forms of cooperation.
- Major arms control treaties include ABM Treaty (1972), SALT, START, and NPT (1968).
- NPT limits the spread of nuclear weapons.
- Confidence-building measures.
Key Points: Non-Traditional Notions of Security
- Security goes beyond military threats to include threats to human life and dignity
- It questions the state-centric idea of security and asks “Security for whom?”.
- The focus shifts from protecting states to protecting individuals and communities.
- This approach is called human security or global security.
- This approach is called human security or global security.
- Many deaths in history have been caused by governments themselves, not foreign armies.
- Global problems like climate change, terrorism, and epidemics require international cooperation.
Key Points: New Sources of Threats
Key Points: Cooperative Security
- Cooperative Security need cooperation, not military force.
- Military force has a limited role and may worsen problems.
- Can be bilateral, regional, or global, depending on the threat.
- Can be bilateral, regional, or global, depending on the threat.
- Use of force, if needed, should be collective and internationally sanctioned, not unilateral.
Key Points: India’s Security Strategy
- India faces both traditional (military) and non-traditional (internal & economic) security threats.
- Strengthening military power is vital due to conflicts with Pakistan (1947, 1965, 1971, 1999) and China (1962).
- India conducted nuclear tests (1974, 1998).
- India supports international institutions and norms like the UN, disarmament, and non-alignment.
- It promotes global cooperation through peacekeeping missions, climate agreements, and arms control.
- Internal security challenges include separatism, militancy, and regional insurgencies, tackled through democracy.
- Economic development and social justice are key to long-term security.
Important Questions [22]
- Explain the notion of traditional security.
- Which one of the following is a concern under Traditional Security?
- Suggest any two measures to deal with threats to the traditional security.
- What is Meant by Non-traditional Notions of Security?
- Explain the meaning of security and mention its two notions.
- Explain terrorism as a new source of threat to the security with the help of any two examples.
- Explain any two objectives of terrorism.
- Highlight any two classic cases of terrorism.
- Explain Any Four Components of India’s Security Strategy.
- How many member countries have got Veto power in the U.N. Security Council and why?
- Describe the security challenges faced by the newly independent countries of Asia and Africa after the Second World War.
- How is Balance of Power a Component of Traditional Security?
- Highlight any two threats to a country’s security as per the traditional notion of security.
- What is the Meant by ‘Disarmament’?
- Distinguish Between the Internal and External Notion of Traditional Security.
- Give any three suitable arguments to support India's candidature for the permanent membership of the U.N. Security Council.
- What is Human Security?
- How is Global Poverty a Source of Insecurity? Explain.
- Give any two arguments in favour of reservation for the SCs, STs and Ks in higher education institutions in India
- The Value of the Ruble Declined Dramatically. the Rate of Inflation Was So High that People Lost All Their Savings. the Collective Farm System Disintegrated Leaving People Without Food Security, and the Government Started to Import Food.
- What is Human Rights Watch? Describe Its Main Contribution to the Field of Human Right.
- "1960s Were Labelled as the 'Dangerous Decade'." Explain with the Help of Any Four Arguments.
Concepts [12]
- Introduction to Security in the Contemporary World
- What is Security?
- Traditional Notions: External
- Traditional Security and Cooperation
- Non-traditional Notions
- New Sources of Threats
- Cooperative Security
- India’s Security Strategy
- Traditional Concerns of Security and Politics of Disarmament
- Non-traditional Or Human Security - Global Poverty, Health and Education
- Issues of Human Rights and Migration
- Overview of Security in Contemporary World
