Sustainable Security: The Role of Promoting Democracy and Protecting Human Rights

Sustainable Security: The Role of Promoting Democracy and Protecting Human Rights

Selim, Kanat

Today’s security threats are more complex than traditional ones, such as HIV, climate change, human rights violations, anti-democratic laws and measures forced us to think about the definition and the context of security again. With the effect of these new threats, sustainable security concept emerged from a post- Cold War multi-disciplinary understanding of security. Sustainable security redefines how we think about national security in today's shifting, after Cold War era. Struggling with these new threats, especially struggling with terrorism requires new approaches to security. The traditional understanding which predicts balancing human rights and security measures is not valid anymore. In today’s security understanding promoting democracy and protecting human rights are not causes of insecurity, contrarily terrorism, which considered as the greatest threat to world security after Sept 11, wants to create a “police state” to find support their own ideology. Further more terrorism aiming to demolish democracy and human rights in society; with this, life become insecure, state become more totalitarian and terrorist acts become more reasonable. For this characteristic, terrorism called the “disease of democracies”. For this reason promoting democracy and protecting human rights are the key elements of sustainable security especially in struggling terrorism Keywords: Sustainable Security, Human Security, Terrorism, Sept. 11, Human Rights, Democracy.

Conference or Workshop Item
PeerReviewed

2012-05-31

1098