Human Security

Security can not be defined independently from people, time, and space. Realism has been dominating international relations for a long time, so security was state-centered until the 1980s. Security traditionally was understood to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states from external threats. After the Cold War, the subject of security has deepened from the state to the individual because the status quo, concepts, and principles have also changed. There have been new direct threats to humans for example; civil wars, ethnic cleansing, migration, and diseases. On the other hand, democratization, and attention to human rights arose with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Haq and Sen introduced a concept of human development that focuses on overcoming poverty, illiteracy, diseases, discrimination, and political constraints, as opposed to an economic human-centered development. It was born in an alternative view of development and enlarged. This challenges this Western dominance. It provided the rise of “Human Security” in the United Nations Development Report. "Freedom from Fear" and "Freedom from Want" are basic components of Human Security. It also includes in connection with "Freedom from Want": Economic security, Food security, Health security, Environmental security, Personal security, Community security, and Political security. The United Nations has redefined security as hunger, disease, unemployment, political repression, and environmental threats. These are all interconnected. These issues, which are considered low politics, have gained importance thanks to globalization and the distinction between the two has decreased.

The purpose of human security is to protect all people, regardless of ethnicity and borders. The difficulties to human security are not power competition or wars, but transnational problems, economic, political, and social, of the international community. National security is still important, but global and human security is gaining importance day by day because states alone are not enough for ensuring sustainable peace, they should cooperate to ensure that.

Human security has been criticized for being too broad a field, being too moralistic and unrealistic, neglecting the role of states as providers of security, and due to the uncertainty of priority. However, human security complements state security. When it comes to politics, morality is just an illusion but individuals are important for human security. Additionally, freedom of want and freedom of fear can not separate each other because these two are interconnected. People should be safe and sound. Both accept the individual as the principal of security and acknowledge the role of globalization.

Although the number of armed conflicts in the world is decreasing, the number of deaths does not decrease. War and conflicts are both causes and results of underdevelopment. Wars and conflicts affect negatively human security, the economy, and the environment, cause hunger and diseases, damage the country's infrastructure, force people to migrate, and expose women to sexual violence. Also, poverty, inequality, and environmental degradation might cause weakening and maybe collapse of states. Human Security has not replaced yet national security in the world. State sovereignty and integrity take priority over the security of individuals in undeveloped countries. These countries spend too much on defense and weapons instead of human security. 

Globalization is everywhere but its effects are not the same. The importance of Human Security has increased with the acceleration of globalization, an increase in economic interdependence, waves of democratization, and an increase in international institutions. Global problems have gone beyond national borders because problems threaten both developing and developed countries. The international community encourages Human Security. UNDP and NGOs work on poverty, hunger, and disease. Their aim is to promote sustainable development by increasing awareness. Development is vital for human security, just as security is vital for human development.

There are similar links between conflicts and diseases. Understanding collective security does not only cover wars with weapons. The impact and domain of diseases and pandemics have increased with globalization. For example, Covid-19 affects all people's lives although it started in China. Currently, there is a biological hazard in the world and therefore countries have to consider the safety of other countries as well. Because a crisis that starts in one country can affect another country on the other side of the ocean.

National security resists the concept of Human Security. Developed countries tend to protect their people. Countries have refrained from donating vaccines so far because they prioritize their own national security, but under human security, countries must share vaccines with states that need them. This is not a disease that only affects a region, it is a worldwide epidemic. Thus vaccinating all citizens of the country is not a logical solution because in the global world countries have to continue their trade, political connections, and tourism, making it impossible to break off relations. Equal distribution of all vaccines according to risk groups in countries should be applied. Vaccination of those in the risk group will reduce the rate of spread of Covid-19 and save more people's lives. Therefore international help for human security must be sustainable and accessible for everyone. The vaccine seems to be the only cure for Covid-19, and underdeveloped countries' lack of access means that Covid will not end for a long time. 

Finally, Human Security needs time to get accepted as a universal concept. Respect and promotion of human rights are encouraged by Human Security. In the context of health security and community security, Human security complements the idea of human rights, so all people must have the right to be vaccinated to survive.