Class 12 Political Science Notes Chapter 7 (Security in the contemporary world) – Contemporary World Politics Book

Detailed Notes with MCQs of Chapter 7, 'Security in the Contemporary World'. This is a crucial chapter as it deals with concepts that are constantly evolving and highly relevant for understanding international relations and, consequently, for your government exam preparation. We need to understand how the meaning of 'security' itself has changed over time.

Chapter 7: Security in the Contemporary World - Detailed Notes

1. What is Security?

• At its most basic level, security implies freedom from threats.
• However, the concept is contested – different people/entities perceive threats differently.
• Traditionally, security was primarily about the survival and protection of the State from external military threats.
• Core values of a state under threat include its sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.
• Security is a fundamental concern for individuals and states, influencing policy decisions and international interactions.

2. Traditional Notion of Security: External Threats

• Referent Object: The State.
• Source of Threat: Primarily other states and their military capabilities.
• Nature of Threat: Military attack, invasion, coercion threatening core values (sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity).
• Response/Strategy:
  • Deterrence: Preventing war by threatening unacceptable costs to the attacker (e.g., nuclear deterrence).
  • Defence: Repelling or limiting the damage of an actual attack.
  • Balance of Power: States constantly assess the power of other states and try to maintain a favourable balance, often by increasing their own power or forming alliances.
  • Alliance Building: Formal treaties between states committing to mutual defence (e.g., NATO, Warsaw Pact - though the latter is defunct). Alliances increase collective security capabilities but can also draw members into conflicts.
• Focus: National Security, emphasizing military power and state survival.

3. Traditional Notion of Security: Internal Threats

• While the primary focus was external, traditional security also acknowledged internal threats, especially after World War II, with the rise of civil wars and separatist movements that could invite external intervention or destabilize neighbours.
• Newly independent nations, particularly in Asia and Africa, faced significant internal threats (separatism, ethnic conflict, weak governance) alongside external ones.

4. Non-Traditional Notions of Security

• This perspective broadens the definition of security beyond military threats and the state.
• Expanded Referent Objects: Includes individuals, communities, and even humanity as a whole, not just the state.
• Expanded Threats: Includes a wider range of dangers:
  • Human Security: Focuses on protecting people. It encompasses "freedom from fear" (protection from violence) and "freedom from want" (protection from poverty, disease, environmental degradation). It argues that the security of the state is meaningless if its population is insecure.
  • Global Security: Recognizes that certain threats are transnational and require global cooperation. Examples include:
    • Terrorism: Use of systematic, indiscriminate violence against civilians to create fear and achieve political goals. It's often transnational.
    • Human Rights Violations: Genocide, mass murder, systematic oppression. While often internal, they can lead to international intervention or refugee crises, impacting global security.
    • Global Poverty: Disparities in wealth create instability, resentment, and conditions ripe for conflict and mass migration. Affects economic security and human dignity.
    • Migration: Large-scale, often forced, migration due to conflict, poverty, or environmental disaster can strain resources of host countries and create social tensions.
    • Health Epidemics: Diseases like HIV-AIDS, Bird Flu, SARS, Ebola, and COVID-19 cross borders easily, devastating populations, disrupting economies, and requiring international cooperation.
    • Environmental Degradation & Climate Change: Global warming, rising sea levels, resource depletion (water, oil), deforestation, and pollution threaten livelihoods, cause displacement, and can lead to resource conflicts.

5. Cooperative Security

• This approach recognizes that many contemporary security threats (especially non-traditional ones) cannot be solved by one state alone through military means.
• It emphasizes the need for international cooperation involving:
  • International Organizations (e.g., UN, WHO, WTO, World Bank, IMF)
  • Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) (e.g., Amnesty International, Red Cross)
  • Businesses and Corporations
  • Prominent individuals and social movements.
• Cooperation might involve disarmament, arms control, confidence-building measures, and collaborative efforts to tackle poverty, disease, and environmental issues.
• Military force might be a last resort, sanctioned collectively by the international community (e.g., through the UN).

6. India's Security Strategy

• India faces a complex security environment with both traditional (military threats from neighbours, border disputes) and non-traditional threats (terrorism, insurgency, poverty, environmental issues).
• India's strategy has four broad components:
  • Strengthening Military Capabilities: Maintaining a strong defence force to deter potential aggressors (e.g., nuclear tests in 1998 were partly justified on security grounds).
  • Strengthening International Norms and Institutions: Supporting collective security through international organizations (UN), promoting disarmament, non-alignment (historically), and cooperative frameworks to safeguard India's interests.
  • Meeting Internal Security Challenges: Tackling issues like separatism (e.g., in Kashmir, Northeast), cross-border terrorism, and maintaining national unity within a democratic framework.
  • Developing Economic Strategy: Building economic strength to lift people out of poverty, reduce inequality, and create a stable foundation for national security. A strong economy provides resources for military and social development.

Conclusion:
The concept of security has significantly broadened from a state-centric, military-focused view to encompass human and global dimensions, recognizing a wider array of threats that often require cooperative, rather than purely confrontational, solutions. Understanding this evolution is key to analysing contemporary world politics.

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

1. The traditional concept of security primarily focuses on threats from:
   a) Environmental degradation
   b) Pandemics
   c) Other states' military action
   d) Global poverty

2. Which of the following is NOT typically considered a component of the traditional security approach?
   a) Alliance building
   b) Balance of power
   c) Human rights protection
   d) Deterrence

3. The term 'Human Security' broadens the focus of security to include:
   a) Only the security of state borders
   b) Protection of individuals from violence, poverty, and disease
   c) Primarily economic cooperation between states
   d) The balance of nuclear weapons globally

4. Which of the following is best categorized as a non-traditional security threat?
   a) A border dispute between two countries
   b) An arms race between rival nations
   c) The spread of the HIV-AIDS epidemic
   d) Formation of a military alliance

5. 'Cooperative Security' emphasizes the need for:
   a) Unilateral military action
   b) International collaboration to address shared threats
   c) Strengthening only national military capabilities
   d) Focusing solely on internal state security

6. What is the primary 'referent object' in the traditional notion of security?
   a) The individual citizen
   b) The global community
   c) The State
   d) Non-governmental organizations

7. Which component of India's security strategy involves strengthening organizations like the UN?
   a) Strengthening military capabilities
   b) Strengthening international norms and institutions
   c) Meeting internal security challenges
   d) Developing economic strategy

8. The concept of 'Balance of Power' aims to:
   a) Ensure equal economic development worldwide
   b) Prevent any single state from becoming overwhelmingly dominant
   c) Promote global disarmament immediately
   d) Focus security efforts entirely on human rights

9. Terrorism is considered a non-traditional security threat primarily because:
   a) It only affects developing countries
   b) It often targets civilians indiscriminately and operates across borders
   c) It is solely an internal problem for states
   d) It can be easily defeated by traditional military means

10. "Freedom from want" and "Freedom from fear" are key aspects of which security concept?
    a) National Security
    b) Balance of Power
    c) Collective Defence
    d) Human Security

Answer Key:

1. c) Other states' military action
2. c) Human rights protection
3. b) Protection of individuals from violence, poverty, and disease
4. c) The spread of the HIV-AIDS epidemic
5. b) International collaboration to address shared threats
6. c) The State
7. b) Strengthening international norms and institutions
8. b) Prevent any single state from becoming overwhelmingly dominant
9. b) It often targets civilians indiscriminately and operates across borders
10. d) Human Security

Make sure you revise these concepts thoroughly. Understanding the distinction between traditional and non-traditional security, and the various elements within each, is vital. Good luck with your preparation!