The Utility of Human Security: Sovereignty and Humanitarian Intervention

'Human security' is a promising but still underdeveloped paradigmatic approach to understanding contemporary security politics. We argue that tension between those embracing the politics of development and those supporting the human security paradigm has intensified because the transnation...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Security dialogue 2002-06, Vol.33 (2), p.177-192
Main Authors: THOMAS, NICHOLAS, TOW, WILLIAM T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Case studies
Collective security
Democracy
East Timor
East Timor (province), Indonesia
Foreign relations
Government and politics
Haiti
Human rights
Human security
Humanitarian Intervention
Indonesia
International aspects
International community
International cooperation
International relations
International security
Intervention (international law)
Military operations
Peace making
Peacekeeping forces
Security
Sovereign states
Sovereignty
Threat
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Summary:'Human security' is a promising but still underdeveloped paradigmatic approach to understanding contemporary security politics. We argue that tension between those embracing the politics of development and those supporting the human security paradigm has intensified because the transnational dimensions embodied within the latter approach have been underassessed. The idea of 'threat' also needs to be identified with more precision for the human security concept to accrue analytical credibility. We focus on how transnational behaviour addresses the central human security problems of vulnerability and immediacy. Human security's utility for confronting crisis is also evaluated via the application of two case studies of humanitarian intervention: the 1994 multinational operation in Haiti and the 1999 intervention in East Timor. We conclude that, while general security politics includes both domestic and international issues, human security allows us to transcend sovereign prerogatives and to address emerging transregional threats more effectively.
ISSN:0967-0106
1460-3640
DOI:10.1177/0967010602033002006