National, International, and Human Security

A Comparative Introduction, Second Edition

Laura Neack

This clear and concise new edition offers a comprehensive comparison of national, international, and human security concepts and policies. Laura Neack skillfully argues that security remains elusive because of a centuries-old ethic insisting that states are the primary and most important international actors, that they can rely ultimately only on themselves for protection, and that they must keep all options on the table for national security. This is particularly apparent with the increase in “glocalized” terrorism and the forced migration of millions of people.

Although security as a concept can be widened to encompass almost any aspect of existence, Neack focuses especially on security from physical violence. Case studies throughout bring life to the concepts. New cases in this revised edition include the Syrian refugee crisis and the responses from European states, the growth and reach of jihadist terrorist groups and the unilateral and multilateral military actions taken to confront them, drug trafficking organizations and the Mexican government’s failure to protect citizens, the overt use of preventive war by major and regional powers and the increasing American reliance on drone warfare, multilateral "train-and-assist" operations aimed at peacekeeping and counterterrorism in Africa, UN civilian protection mandates in Libya and Côte d’Ivoire and their absence in Syria, and how terrorism and refugee crises are intimately connected.

The first edition of this book was published under the title Elusive Security: States First, People Last in 2007. « less more »

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 236 • Trim: 6 1/4 x 9 1/2

978-1-4422-7525-6 • Hardback • February 2017 • $83.00 • (£54.95)

978-1-4422-7526-3 • Paperback • February 2017 • $34.00 • (£23.95)

978-1-4422-7527-0 • eBook • February 2017 • $32.00 • (£22.95)

Series: New Millennium Books in International Studies

Subjects: Political Science / Security (National & International), Political Science / International Relations / Arms Control, Political Science / Peace, Political Science / Human Rights

National, International, and Human Security

A Comparative Introduction, Second Edition

Hardback

Paperback

eBook

Summary

This clear and concise new edition offers a comprehensive comparison of national, international, and human security concepts and policies. Laura Neack skillfully argues that security remains elusive because of a centuries-old ethic insisting that states are the primary and most important international actors, that they can rely ultimately only on themselves for protection, and that they must keep all options on the table for national security. This is particularly apparent with the increase in “glocalized” terrorism and the forced migration of millions of people.

Although security as a concept can be widened to encompass almost any aspect of existence, Neack focuses especially on security from physical violence. Case studies throughout bring life to the concepts. New cases in this revised edition include the Syrian refugee crisis and the responses from European states, the growth and reach of jihadist terrorist groups and the unilateral and multilateral military actions taken to confront them, drug trafficking organizations and the Mexican government’s failure to protect citizens, the overt use of preventive war by major and regional powers and the increasing American reliance on drone warfare, multilateral "train-and-assist" operations aimed at peacekeeping and counterterrorism in Africa, UN civilian protection mandates in Libya and Côte d’Ivoire and their absence in Syria, and how terrorism and refugee crises are intimately connected.

The first edition of this book was published under the title Elusive Security: States First, People Last in 2007.

Book Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 236 • Trim: 6 1/4 x 9 1/2

978-1-4422-7525-6 • Hardback • February 2017 • $83.00 • (£54.95)

978-1-4422-7526-3 • Paperback • February 2017 • $34.00 • (£23.95)

978-1-4422-7527-0 • eBook • February 2017 • $32.00 • (£22.95)

Series: New Millennium Books in International Studies

Subjects: Political Science / Security (National & International), Political Science / International Relations / Arms Control, Political Science / Peace, Political Science / Human Rights

Author

Laura Neack is professor of political science at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Table of Contents

List of Acronyms
Preface
1 The Elusive Nature of Security
2 National Security
3 Internal Security
4 Unilateral Pursuit of External Security
5 Multilateral and Bilateral Responses to External Security Threats
6 International Security: Multinational Efforts to Achieve Security
7 United Nations Peacekeeping and Peace Enforcement
8 Human Security
9 Conclusion: Resilience and Imagination
Notes
Index

Reviews

This is a well-written and convincing read. . . . A good reference work for students, academics, and others working with security issues on a national or international level.
— Naima Mouhleb, Uppsala University

Guided by a provocative and disquieting thesis that national security fails at every level, Neack skillfully analyzes how the international system, especially the United Nations, protects states and the great power state system. This comprehensive treatment—a blend of theory and policy, generalizations and comparative cases—is bound to inform and stimulate.
— Karen A. Mingst, University of Kentucky

"A rare textbook that brings together the insights of a wide range of security theorizing with contemporary events and debates including (but not limited to) the refugee crisis, global terror, and the responsibility to protect."
— Pinar Bilgin, Bilkent University, Turkey

Features

Includes historical framework and analysis of current controversial security policies such as the war on terror and preemptive versus preventive war

Explores the changing nature of external and internal security threats, with special attention to terrorism and the transformation of warfare

Explains how the difficulties and failures of United Nations peace and security efforts can be understood by examining how the UN system was built on a state-first security ethic

Discusses recent proposals for the promotion of an international responsibility to protect human beings from violence

Provides extended discussion boxes to illustrate concepts and debates

Ideal for upper-level undergraduate courses on national security, international security, strategic studies, terrorism, global problems, and the United Nations

New features
End of chapter discussion questions

Incorporates the latest waves of refugees and terrorists and the national and international responses as examples to illustrate the terms, concepts and policy frameworks that students should learn in a security class

National, International, and Human Security

A Comparative Introduction, Second Edition

Laura Neack

National, International, and Human Security

A Comparative Introduction, Second Edition

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