Chapter 7 Security in Contemporary World Class 12 2018

Political Science Contemporary World

CHAPTER 7

SECURITY IN CONTEMPORARY WORLD

Introductory:

1. What does Security mean?

It simply means ‘freedom from threat in any form’. The threat could be
physical, financial, and emotional.
In previous classes it was studied that for an individual child or adult,
security is provided by family. This is in the form of physical and emotional
security, financial and social security.
Here, physical security itself has many aspects, such as, no harm or
threat of harm to one’s body, provisions for daily food, clothing and
hygiene, shelter, medical treatment during illness, ability to play and
exercise and develop physical strength, facility to get an education, to learn
skills of life and so on.
Similarly, national and world securities are multi-dimensional. With
this background in mind, attempt should be made to understand the multiple
dimensions of national security and world security.

2. What does National Security mean?

National Security means any threat that challenges the core values of the
country as a whole. This includes the physical threat of military invasion of
a country that causes wars between nations.

3. What does World Security mean?

World Security means freedom from any dangerous threats that may cause
harm to world peace. It includes the right of all nations to co-existence
peacefully in the world.

4. The meaning of national security varies from country to country and has
changed through historical times.

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Chapter 7 Security in Contemporary World Class 12 2018
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National Security
concepts can be
grouped as

1. Traditional 2. Non
concepts that see traditional
security threats concepts about
mostly as external security raise
and some times as questions on:
internal.

1.2 Traditional a) what is being

1.1 Military invasion views on security secured?
threatens national include military b) from what?
existence, invasion, internal
sovereignity, uprising, and c) for whom?
territoritorial integrity, 'cooperation for d) how are
and independence. security'. traditional
methods useful
today?
1.1.1 In response to a military security
threat a national government may:
a) Work to prevent any invasion through Bilateral or multi-lateral
a ‘Policy of Deterrence’ Alliances are based on formal
b) To defend its territory through a written treaties signed by the
‘Policy of Defence’. Its aim is to limit the heads of governments of the two
war or to end it. or more nations

c) Or to surrender.
All alliances are based on
d) Create a ‘Balance of Power’ with its
national interest.
immediate neighbours in particular.
e) Form Alliances to coordinate joint Alliances may change according
action in specific situations. Alliances to changes in national interest.
increase the effective power of members.

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5. Forms of nontraditional security threats faced by First World countries or

developed countries of West Europe and US, Japan, South Korea :

1. Human Security from 3. Terrorism in various

denial of discrimination 2. Global Security and forms of plane
and spread of new maintenance of world hijacking, attacks in
diseases peace metrorails and markets

4. Social unrest due to 5. Mass Immigration

social and financial due to wars and global
Inequality poverty

6. Forms of nontraditional Security treats in Third World or Developing

Countries of Asia, Africa and South America.

5.Human 1. Global
Rights Poverty
violations and hunger

2. Health
epidemics
4. Terrorism
and high
and internal
child
violence
mortality
rates
3. Ethnic
wars and
state
violence
dictatorships

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Chapter 7 Security in Contemporary World Class 12 2018
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7. Major components of India’s Security Strategy :

• Essential due to 4 wars with Pakistan and 1 war with China.

1947-48, 1962, 1965, 1971, 1999.
1. • China and Pakistan have joined forces in their policy against
1.Strengthenin
India, as in 2018.
g of military
capabilities. • India conducted Nuclear tests in 1974 and 1998. Has Policies
'Balance of of peaceful uses of nuclear energy and non proliferation.
Power'

2.International • Non alignment movement, United Nations membership,

Institutions' Kyoto Protocol in 1997; SAARC, ASEAN, World Trade
membership to Organisation.
strengthen its •
national
security

• Separatists Movements in Mizoram, Nagaland, Assam,

Punjab.
3.Meeting • Left Wing Extremism in 200 districts covering 5 large States
Internal • Terrorism fuelled by India's enemies.
challenges

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8. Major stages of Disarmament and Arms Control:

1.Biological Weapons Convention , 1972.

155 countries acceded not to manufacture or
possess BW.

2. Chemical Weapons Convention ,1992.

181 countries acceded not to manufacture or
possess CW .

3.1 Anti Ballistic Missiles Treaty 1972.

3.2 Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty II (SALT II)
3.3 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START)
3.4 Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) 1968.

Questions at the end of the Chapter:

1. Match the terms with their meaning:

Answer.
1.1 Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) b) A process of
exchanging information on defence matters between nations on a
regular basis.

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1.2 Arms Control d) Regulates the acquisition or development of

weapons

1.3 Alliance c) A coalition of nations meant to deter or defend

against military attacks

1.4 Disarmament a) Giving up certain types of weapons

2. Which among the following would you consider as a traditional security

concern / non-traditional security concern / not a threat?

2.1 The spread of chikungunya / dengue fever = not a security

concern.
2.2 Inflow of workers from a neighbouring nation= a traditional
security concern.
2.3 Emergence of a group demanding nationhood for their region= a
traditional security concern.
2.4 Emergence of a group demanding autonomy for their region = a
traditional security concern.
2.5A newspaper that is critical of the armed forces in the country = not a
threat.

3. What is the difference between traditional and non-traditional security?

Answer. Traditional security was mainly viewed as a threat from an
external enemy. It includes attack on one’s territory, occupation of a
national territory by another country. It also includes internal violent
protests or insurgency. As such the traditional view was from about
securing the country from outsiders.
Non-traditional view raises questions such as:

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a) What is being secured? b) From what? c) For whom? d) How are

traditional methods useful today? The non-conventional view involves
multiple aspects of Human security. These include:
1) security from internal and external attacks,
2) global security against nuclear wars
3) security against environmental degradation,
4) security against terrorism,
5) security for enjoying basic human rights,
6) security against global poverty,
7) security from large scale migration and immigration.
8) Security from health epidemics

4. Which category would the creation and sustenance of alliances belong

to?
Answer. Creation and sustenance of alliances belongs to traditional
security concerns. NATO, Warsaw Pact, ASEAN, SAARC are examples
of such alliances.

5. What are the differences in the threats that people in the Third World face
and those living in the First World face?
Answer. The differences in the threats faced by people in the Third
World and those in the First World are as follows:
In Third World countries are now First World countries are now called
called the Developing countries the Developed countries.
1 2
1. Human security threats from a) Global security threats
various types of contagious emerged with Globalisation in
diseases that may originate the 1990s. These included
anywhere, but may become an international health epidemics
epidemic in developing countries. of new kinds of mortal
This is because these diseases, such as mad cow
countries do not have a well- disease, bird flu, AIDS.
developed health care and
prevention systems.

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2. Security threats of violence
against ethnic communities.
Ethnic violence has been on the
rise in many Asian and African
countries. In African countries,
tribal culture predominates with
historical enmities. The
boundaries drawn be colonial
masters were arbitrary and did not
recognize claims of the tribes.
After gaining independence, the
tribe in power tends to indulge in
ethnic violence.
3. Human rights violations are more
common in developing countries.
These are of three types :
a) denial of political rights such
as freedom of speech and
expression,
b) denial of social and economic
rights,
c) denial of rights to life to ethnic
and indigenous minorities.
4. Global poverty is a major source
of insecurity in Third world
countries. Highest rate of
Population growth is in four Asian
and one African country. High
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1. Human security threat is from
terror attacks such as the
World Trade Center attack in
New York on 11th September
2001, that killed thousands in
a few minutes.
b) Hijacking of passenger
aircrafts to compel countries to
give the hijackers large sums
of money or to release their
fellow terrorists from prison
is another form of human
security threat in developed
countries.
Terror attacks in metro
railways, or crowded markets,
are new forms of human
security threat in developed
countries.
c) Human rights violations occur
in developed countries also but
those are limited to individuals
and are not accepted as open
to public discussion.
d) Decline in rate of population
growth is a major security
threat in developed countries.
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population and less development

is creating disparities that threaten
social stability and peace.

5. Large scale internal migration e) Large scale migration from

from rural to urban areas.
war torn Asian and African
countries is resulting in
refugee management and re-
settlement problems in
developed countries. In five
years 70 developing countries
were involved in 93 conflicts.

6. Is terrorism a traditional or non-traditional threat to security?

Answer. Terrorism is a non- traditional security threat.

7. What are the choices available to a state when its security is threatened,
according to the traditional security perspective?
Answer. As per the traditional security perspective three choices
available to a state when its security is threatened as follows:

a) Work to prevent any invasion through a ‘Policy of Deterrence’

b) To defend its territory when attacked. A ‘Policy of Defence’ is a
step that can be taken in advance for such a situation. The aim of this
policy is to limit the war or to end it as soon as possible.
c) The third choice is to surrender.

8. What is ‘Balance of Power’? How could a state achieve this?

Answer. ‘Balance of Power’ is in relation to military capability only.
It can be achieved by adopting the policy of keeping a balance between
one’s own military strength and that of another state that may attack in
future. The arms balance is maintained at a point that is favourable to
one’s own country. The training of the armed forces in the use of the

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latest weapons purchased is a critical part of the policy of balance of

power concept.

9. What are the objectives of military alliances? Give an example of a

functioning military alliance with its specific objectives.
Answer. Military alliances are created between a group of countries
located in the same region, and who have a common enemy. One of the
main conditions of a military alliance is that if one of the members of the
alliance is attacked or invaded, all other members respond as if it is an
attack on them. Therefore, all will react in a coordinated manner to
defend the member country that is attacked. Military alliances are
therefore, based on national interest, and over time national interests may
change. Then the alliances also change.
One example of a military alliance is North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation (NATO). All the capitalist countries of West Europe are
members of NATO.
The common enemy of NATO was the USSR and the Soviet bloc
countries of Eastern Europe during the Cold War era. The overall
objective was to protect capitalism and democratic systems against the
spread of communist ideology.
(151 words)

10.Rapid environmental degradation is causing a serious threat to security.

Do you agree with the statement? Substantiate your arguments.

Answer. Yes, I agree that rapid environmental degradation is causing a

serious threat to national security. The problem of deforestation has
given rise to the problems of floods and reduction in rainfall, cyclones
and tsunami. In India, the regular annual cycle of monsoons has been
disturbed. Monsoon has become irregular and imbalanced. It has reduced
its extent from four months to two months. There is excessive rainfall in
some places and famine in others.

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Air and water pollution due to industrialization and development

is another aspect of environmental degradation. High level of pollution
has become a health hazard in many cities. Smog and unhealthy air is
highest in Delhi and many Indian cities are listed among the most
polluted cities in the world.
Thus, changing patterns of monsoon resulting both in floods and
famine in the same year, and high levels of river water and air pollution
are creating non-traditional security concerns for India.
(153 words)

11. Nuclear weapons as deterrence or defence have limited usage against

contemporary security threats to states. Explain the statement.
Answer. It is correct that nuclear weapons as a deterrence or defence
have limited usage against contemporary security threats to states. This is
because nuclear weapons cannot be used more than once. One major
nuclear war will destroy not only the user state but also the Earth as a
whole. After a nuclear war no plant or animal life will be possible on
earth. Therefore, no nation big or small can be allowed to start a nuclear
war.

12.Looking at the Indian scenario, what type of security has been given
priority in India, traditional or non-traditional? What examples could you
cite to substantiate the argument?
Answer. After independence, India gave priority to traditional security.
It worked towards maintaining a balance of power with its bigger
neighbours with whom it has fought wars. India has pursued the policy of
Non alignment and has not become a member of any military alliance.
The non- traditional security issues have come to the fore from
1990s. . India has been suffering from internal terrorism in the form of
Left Wing Extremism in about 200 districts covering four states.
In a globalized world, national security issues have increasingly
become non-traditional. The use of modern technology by terrorists in
India has become a major non-traditional concern. India has repeatedly

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raised the issue of externally backed terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, in

international fora. The Mumbai terror attack of 26/11 also had external
links. It is only in 2017, that the UN and US have accepted India’s
concerns and taken action by cutting off aid.
(152 words)

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