Key Future Challenges to Global Security

Running head: Political Science

Political Science 1
Should the study of security be defined as the study of the threat
and use of force?
According to the definition of Stephen Walt,” Security can be observed as the study of war and
statesmanship and is essentially confined to the analysis of the state .According to his opinion;
the state forms the center of the security studies. So the idea that security merely means the use
of military force and power to is unsuitable to the ideologies of the present era (Coates, 2014).
This essay attempts to contradict the topic by arguing that the role of security in the international
relations far beyond the use of threat and power.
Security can be viewed as the freedom from threat and the capability of the states to maintain
their independent recognition and functional integrity against the transformations which they
observe as hostile. The final limit of security is survival and it comprises of considerable range
of apprehensions about the circumstances of survival (Englehart, 2016).
Security has always been viewed as the derivative and synonym for power .Security can be
categorized at three levels viz. individual, state and international levels. Military threats can
affect the security of the state on several levels. It can create a great influence on all the
components of the state. It can question the responsibility of the governments of the state to
safeguard its citizens. The political threats represent a constant concern for the state so that
nobody can weaken the political entity of the state. It can be observed as the competition in the
various ideologies in the state as well as an attack on the nation itself (Buzan, 2015).
Security is often studied as a threat posed to the survival of citizens of the state but in reality it
means absence of threats. It means the probability of staying away from dangers or feeling safe
within a country. Security itself is freedom from war which is coupled with higher expectations
that the result of the war shall not be defeat in any case.
The concept of national security implies that it is the capability of the state to stand erect in times
of aggression. The international security can be determined with the help of internal and external
security of the different social systems. Social security can be defined as internal security. The
function is to make sure that the political and economic power are adequate for the security of

Political Science 2
the state and for the survival of the social systems and a suitable degree of public
security( Srikanth ,2014).
So it has been observed that security comprises of military aggression and intensifying the
threats. They can pose a great amount of damage as they give unnecessary appearance of power
and masculinity which is useless. Rather the word security depicts an absolute condition of peace
and wellbeing of individuals. Hence, it can be viewed as a natural right and utilized to support
the assumption that it forms the basis of the individual right of life, liberty and wellbeing of the
individuals .

Political Science 3
References
Buzan, B. (2015) The English School: a neglected approach to International Security Studies.
Security Dialogue. 46 (2), pp. 126-143.
Coates, V.K. (2014) A Critical Analysis of Walt’s concept of security [online] Available from:
https://www.e-ir.info/2014/10/09/a-critical-analysis-of-walts-concept-of-security/ [Accessed 16th
June, 2018].
Englehart, N.A. (2016) Non-state Armed Groups as a Threat to Global Security: What Threat,
Whose Security? Journal of Global Security Studies. 1(2), pp. 171–183.
Srikanth, D.(2014) Non-Traditional Security Threats in the 21st Century: A Review.
International Journal of Development and Conflict. 4(2014), pp. 60-68.