ECOLOGICAL DEGRADATION

Ecological Degradation: A Threat to National Security

Abstract

The concept of security bears utmost significance to, not only the individuals living in different states, but also the international community of states. The notion of security has long preoccupied the minds of the national, regional and international security experts and the practitioners of International Relations. Over the time, the traditions interpretation and scope of the concept of security has changed and the conventional security models with states as main actors in the global security arena have continuously been contested in the modern times where new actors and threats have emerged to further complicate the understanding of security and threat. Barry Buzan is one of modern international security experts who seek to widen the traditional notion of security to include some important factors such economy and environment which, in modern times, are tied to and greatly influence the national security. In this paper the writer attempts to assert that environmental or ecological degradation is, indeed, a threat to national security, while exploring Buzan's broader concept of security.Ecological Degradation: A Threat to National Security

Introduction

Security is of paramount importance to the international community and it has long preoccupied the minds of the practitioners of International Relations and international security. The traditional concepts of security with the sovereign states as the main actors have long been challenged and thus up for a seemingly never ending debate. The realist believe that security is a “derivative of power”, thereby reducing the otherwise very complex task of regional and international security as mere a “synonym for power” (Ullman, 1983, pp. 129-153). The realist point of view was quite relevant in times when World Wars were fought, where states were, at large, the sole actors in the international security arena, which were always struggling for power. However, in recent times and especially after the end of the Cold War, international security paradigm have been shifted its focus from traditional targets and sources to unconventional ones (Williams, 2011, 1235-1253).

The post-Cold War era has been characterized by relatively new threats and new actors emerging in the security arena. These new threats and actors are not necessarily the states; rather there emerged many non state actors who have demonstrated potential to influence the balance of power in the world. It can, therefore, be argued that the concept of security has become much more complex than it used to be nearly a century ago (Williams, 2011, 1235-1253). In his book, “People, States and Fear”, Barry Buzan is of the view that the concept of security was “too narrowly founded”. He, therefore, attempts to offer a newer and broader framework of security which includes, in addition to the traditional concepts of security, concepts, ideas and challenges concerning security that were previously not paid much attention to by the main players of international relations (Buzan, 1981). These new challenges include socioeconomic security, environmental security etc (Raleigh, 2007, pp. 674-94).

Traditional Understanding of Security

National and international security is one of the most important topics in ...