6.4.1: Introduction to Global Security

Learning Objectives

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Differentiate between different types of security
• Apply the levels of analysis approach to security

Introduction

What is security? Security is defined as the condition of being exempt from peril or threat. Generally speaking, when one hears about security, it can be understood at several different levels. This is referred to as levels of analysis which is often used in the subfield of International Relations in Political Science. The levels of analysis approach is an analytical framework positing that occurrences in international relations can be elucidated by examining individuals, states, or the global system, and that causative factors at each level can be distinguished from those at other levels (Matthews & Callaway, 2017). This approach is generally used to describe how foreign policy is constructed, by examining everything from the people who make foreign policy decisions to the interactions between states that shape those same foreign policy outcomes.

Using the levels of analysis approach, security can conceptually be divided into the same three levels: the individual level (human security), the national level (national security) and the global level (global security). Each level is unique in its approach to security, with different protections that require different solutions. Nevertheless, each level is interrelated, with security at the individual level most dependent on security at the national level and ultimately the global level. Table 7.1.1 briefly describes each level of analysis.

Table 7.1.1: Levels of Analysis in Security

Level of Analysis	Definition
Individual (human)	Looks at the human rights of individuals in the analysis of security policy.
National (state or domestic)	Looks at the internal processes of a state in the analysis of security policy.
Global (international or systemic)	Looks at attributes of the global system that influence conduct in the analysis of security policy.

Human Security

The first level of security is at the individual or personal level. This is often referred to as human security, and it centers on the physical safety of an individual regardless of where they live. At times, individual peoples, or entire groups, often identified by a characteristic, such as one’s race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, tribe, or class status, can be targets of physical violence. This violence can occur at the hands of other individuals or groups or can be at the direction of the national government or of a governmental entity, such as a country’s military. The focus on human security as a analytical framework is a relatively new approach, having only been articulated by the United Nations in the 1990s.

The initial significant declaration regarding human security emerged in the 1994 Human Development Report, which is a yearly publication by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The report articulated seven dimensions of human security: Economic, Food, Health, Environmental, Personal, Community, and Political. Each dimension is interrelated with the others and the report was designed to be ‘all-encompassing’, taking an ‘integrative’ approach to human security. Table 7.1.2 lists the dimensions with their descriptions taken from the 1994 report.

Table 7.1.2: Seven Dimensions of Human Security

Dimensions of Human Security	Description
Economic Security	Freedom from poverty
Food Security	Access to food
Health Security	Access to health care and protection from diseases
Environmental Security	Protection from such dangers as environmental pollution and depletion
Personal Security	Physical safety from such things as torture, war, criminal attacks, domestic violence, drug use, suicide, and even traffic accidents
Community Security	Survival of traditional cultures and ethnic groups as well as the physical security of these groups
Political Security	Enjoyment of civil and political rights, and freedom from political oppression

National Security

The second level and the more traditional approach to security is national security. National security is defined as a state's capacity to safeguard its interests, confidential information, and populace against both external and internal perils that have the potential to jeopardize its existence. National security is an important aspect of any country’s objectives and has been traditionally measured through the strength of a country’s military forces. National security is now bifurcated into protecting the country from external threats, national defense, and from internal threats, homeland security. External threats could include threats of invasions from neighboring countries to intercontinental attacks by guided missiles. Internal threats could include terrorist attacks by non-state actors and acts of rebellion by guerilla groups.  

Global Security

The third, and final, level of analysis is the global level. Global security is grounded in the principle that the security of any individual nation is inseparable from the security of all nations. It differs from international security which refers to the actions taken by nations to secure the well-being and defense of their citizens, boundaries, and strategic concerns through cooperation amongst states. Thus, international security primarily addresses conventional military threats and interstate conflicts, while global security encompasses non-traditional threats that extend beyond national boundaries. Global security has been extensively nurtured by the United Nations, particularly since the end of the Cold War. The predominant emphasis is now on striving to eradicate conflicts by means of international law, humanitarian aid, fostering trust, and bolstering global governance. From the prospective of this lens, the employment of force should, therefore, be predominantly reserved for international peacekeeping, peace enforcement, and safeguarding innocent civilians from violence, with such actions being determined and coordinated by the United Nations.