The Ultimate Weapon is No Weapon: Human Security and the New Rules of War and Peace by Shannon D. Beebe and Mary Kaldor

Résumé du document

Shannon Beebe and Mary Kaldor argue in their book that we need to focus on human security to fix contemporary conflicts. They explain there is a security gap that needs to be filled; they now believe, after years of experience that if we would implement basic necessities in most developing countries (where many inner-state conflicts concern religions, ethnicities and such,) crises in the world would diminish. The human security approach the authors propose is the protection of individuals as opposed to the state, nuclear disaster, natural disaster, famine etc. If this were to happen in the U.S, we would expect to be saved and fixed. We need to extend this domestic security to a global security.

In other words, they argue that poverty and lack of resources engender limitation on political rights, which then engender the rise of possible physical violence, threats and insurgencies. Water, shelter, education and health should be given to all humans on earth and we, the big powers, can do this. Focusing on economic, political and physical needs and rights of people is human security. They include in their definition of human security, natural disasters and such. The book illustrates Human security as a new concept to create peace in the world. The use of hard power, as the U.S is known for, is today inadequate with the change in the nature of conflicts. This new era started after the Cold War; in fact inter-state conflicts, which were considered the worst are almost inexistent today.

Extraits

[...] The example of Bosnia was a time where we needed to use force to protect the people. The authors explain that bombing kill civilians and does not protect humans, now Kosovo and Yugolsavia have a bitter taste and it created tension. Using heavy hard power only fail those states who were struggling. In Iraq, strategic use for counterinsurgency included some of the core principles of human security and the strategy actually used the term human security (72). However, the authors point out that these strategies are unlikely to work in Afghanistan (72). [...]

[...] The Ultimate Weapon is No Weapon: Human Security and the New Rules of War and Peace by Shannon D. Beebe and Mary Kaldor Shannon Beebe and Mary Kaldor argue in their book that we need to focus on human security to fix contemporary conflicts. They explain there is a security gap that needs to be filled; they now believe, after years of experience that if we would implement basic necessities in most developing countries (where many inner-state conflicts concern religions, ethnicities and such,) crises in the world would diminish. [...]

[...] The success of the human-security approach being adopted depends upon the success of the changes in Africa. As a whole I think the way Beebe and Kaldor of wanting to transform world politics to address human security is positive and possible. There strongest argument is that the current way of dealing with defense and globalization creates a “security therefore why not change our way of dealing with contemporary conflicts. Politics is about changes, if we are here today is because of all the big changes leaders have enacted to try something new. [...]

[...] It also explains how the human-security approach should be applied to the current Israel/Palestinian conflict and how civilians should be protected from “human rights rules rather than the rules of (159). The West needs to achieve a sustainable security for itself and countries in trouble such as Afghanistan, Somalia and Iraq. The possible threat of doing so would be the lack of hard power resources that could be slowed down or cut down because of financing human security projects. I believe that the U.S is so advanced already that it could slow down at creating new weapons for “possible threats” while real conflicts are going on in the world. [...]

[...] As a final point, the ones who criticize this approach say that it is utopian and I sure hope it is, in a sense where if we were not interested in utopia why do politics. Work cited Shаnnon D. Bееbе аnd Mаry H. Kаldor Thе Ultіmаtе Wеаpon іs No Wеаpon: Humаn Sеcurіty аnd thе Nеw Rulеs of Wаr аnd Pеаcе, Publіc Affаіrs; pp 256. [...]