Key Points

At its most basic level, security implies freedom from threats. In world politics, it refers to threats that endanger the core values of a country, which could be damaged beyond repair if not addressed.

Security is broadly categorized into two groups: traditional notions and non-traditional notions. Traditional security focuses on military threats to the state, while non-traditional security includes a wider range of threats to human existence.

In the traditional view, the greatest danger to a country is from military threats from another country. This view is concerned with protecting a state's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.

A government's security policy includes deterrence (preventing war), defense (limiting or ending war), balance of power (maintaining military parity with other countries), and alliance building (forming coalitions for collective security).

Traditional security also concerns itself with internal threats, such as separatist movements that want to form independent countries. These internal threats were a major challenge for newly-independent nations of Asia and Africa.

Non-traditional security concepts go beyond military threats to include a wide range of dangers affecting individuals and humanity. The referent of security shifts from the state to individuals, communities, or all of humankind.

Human security prioritizes the protection of people over the protection of states. Its broad definition includes freedom from fear (violence) and freedom from want (hunger, disease, poverty).

The idea of global security emerged in the 1990s to address threats that are global in nature, such as climate change, international terrorism, and health epidemics like AIDS and bird flu, which no single country can solve alone.

Non-traditional security identifies new threats including terrorism, human rights violations, global poverty, large-scale migration and refugee movements, and health epidemics.

Terrorism is defined as political violence that deliberately and indiscriminately targets civilians to terrorize the public and achieve a political objective.

Dealing with non-traditional threats requires international cooperation rather than military confrontation. This involves states, international organizations like the UN, and non-governmental organizations working together.

These are methods of cooperation in traditional security. Disarmament requires states to give up weapons (e.g., 1972 BWC, 1997 CWC), while arms control regulates their acquisition or development (e.g., 1968 NPT).

CBMs are a process in which rival countries share military information and intentions to avoid war through misunderstanding or misperception. This helps build trust and ensure transparency.

The first component of India's strategy is strengthening its military capabilities. This is due to conflicts with neighboring countries like Pakistan and China, leading to actions like the 1998 nuclear tests.

The second component is strengthening international norms and institutions. India has historically supported decolonization, disarmament, non-alignment, and the UN to protect its security interests.

The third component involves meeting internal security challenges. India uses its democratic political system to manage militant and separatist movements and preserve national unity.

The fourth component focuses on economic development to lift citizens out of poverty and reduce inequality. A democratic government is seen as a way to provide greater security by combining economic growth with human development.