MacLean, 2006
MacLean, 2006
MacLean, 2006
International Security
by George A. MacLean
H uman security deals with the protection of people from external threats, as well
as those that originate domestically. It is both revolutionary and evolutionary from a
conceptual standpoint and in terms of its implementation. Revolutionarily, it
concentrates on the primary unit of analysis, the person, and embraces what simply
should be the foremost concern of national governments. Evolutionarily, it builds on
our existing understanding of security, adding the human element to territory,
environment, economics, and governmental authority. Human security is no mere
addition, however, and it presents serious consequences for the field of international
security and the role of policymakers.
A proper examination of human security requires some thought about the
foundations of security, what it means to be safe, and the basis of globalization. In
what ways does human security depart from established practices and analysis? Does
it drive policy change, or is it policy-driven? Are we discovering something new, or
reinterpreting what already exists? How does the process of global integration affect
security? In answering these questions, this article provides a conceptual explanation
of human security and relates the concept to globalization in the international
environment. It suggests some skill sets at both the national and international level
that will be required to incorporate human security competently. And as evidence of
the effects of implementation, some consideration is given to the Canadian
experience in projecting human security as a foreign policy goal.
Dr. George A. MacLean is Acting Head and Associate Professor of Political Studies at the
University of Manitoba. He is also a Research Fellow at the Centre for Defense and Security
Studies and Chair of the Advisory Committee for the Manitoba Chair of United Nations Studies.
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can be thought of as a social obligation that preserves a culture, social order, and
identity. Politically, it involves the protection of ideology and government
organizations. From the standpoint of defense and military affairs, security covers
the physical protection of citizens, government, and resources. Security also may be
viewed economically, as the stable management of welfare and access to markets,
capital, and finance. With regard to the environment, security may be further defined
in terms of the conservation of natural ecosystems.
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legal and physical; human rights field operations, efforts to ban the manufacture and
use of anti-personnel landmines, and humanitarian intervention, including Canada’s
support for the controversial Independent International Commission on
Intervention and State Sovereignty. Regarding peace support operations, Canada’s
efforts lie mainly in the field of peacekeeping, a long-standing dimension of its
foreign policy. Canada approaches peacekeeping in a multifaceted manner—it
provides military and civilian police forces, as well as experts in the areas of
democratic governance, judicial reform, child protection, freedom of the press,
human rights, and conflict resolution and reconciliation. At the institutional level,
Canada’s agenda advocates greater capacity-building in both public and private
contexts.
In the area of conflict prevention, Canada has worked within the G8, the UN,
and regional organizations to address the root causes of conflict. At the time of the
Chrétien government, the Foreign Affairs Ministry included the use of targeted
sanctions, control over small arms, and post-conflict peace building as means of
supporting conflict prevention in the context of human security. Canada’s human
security position on governance and accountability encompasses the creation of the
ICC, security sector reform, efforts against corruption and for greater transparency,
fostering freedom of opinion and expression, democratic governance, and corporate
social responsibility. With regards to public safety, Canadian priorities have been
transnational organized crime, illicit drugs, and terrorism. These priorities reflect the
application of Canada’s human security agenda.
Based on a long tradition of interventionism and humanitarianism, Canada’s
human security strategy has had implications for policymaking and implementation.
To begin, the Canadian government has had to defend human security as a policy
option and in practice. For example, the 1999 intervention in Kosovo was termed a
human security emergency. Though other states—notably Great Britain and the
United States—avoided such a characterization, Canada justified its role in the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) bombing missions by invoking human
security:
Kosovo was a conflict, within a state, where basic human rights were violated, and where
the primary interest of the international community as we saw it from Canada was [ in]
the protection of individuals. To Canadians, it was a classic case of Human Security,
where the international community took action, not to protect their state interests, but to
address the security of individuals. [T]he use of military force in Kosovo showed that if
you want to be involved in providing human security you would be well advised to have the
ability to use force, including military force, in your tool kit. “Soft power” and “hard
power” can both make critical contributions to the Human Security agenda.10
Canadian policymakers have recognized the need to involve the military. Former
UN ambassador and Assistant Deputy Foreign Minister Paul Heinbecker argued that
human security requires a hard edge, as demonstrated by the Kosovo bombings:
[T]he war against Serbia was a war of values, a war for human security, and once
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CONCLUSION
Michael Renner has argued that the “greatest threats to security today come
from within nations, not from invading armies.”20 There is an increasing shift from
military to civilian casualties in conflict areas as unstructured violence emerges from
decidedly unconventional security threats. Global integration has given emphasis to
much broader dimensions of security. Promoting human security will require
effective coordination at the domestic and international levels, as well as among
multilateral institutions.
Globalization is more than just a means of describing international security and
insecurity. It introduces different vulnerabilities and a new set of concerns and
constraints for international security. Globalization is no fait accompli but rather a
process with important implications for the locus of political authority and state
sovereignty.
The notion of human security has been misunderstood at times. The focus on
the individual is a reasonable extension of what we define as security and its
implementation has implications for national and international authorities. With
broad consequences for foreign and defense policy, trade and commercial relations,
and government decision making, human security is nevertheless not far removed
from traditional security concerns. Its effects are significant implications both for the
process of foreign policy decision making, as well as for alliance relations and
multilateral institutions.
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