New Sources of Threats

Security, in a global context, refers to the protection of the globe from times of uncertainty and creating a world that promotes peace and growth. The world has been facing problems such as wars, terrorism, health insecurity, and the huge displacement of people from one area to another. It is essential to overcome such problems to ensure the promotion of human rights. As the world enters into an era of globalisation, such threats must be dealt with effectively in order to promote global partnerships and fraternity.

Terrorism

• Terrorism is violence against the citizens indiscriminately and deliberately
• The various methods employed by terrorists involve hijacking planes or planting bombs etc
• The topic of terrorism came into light when the World trade center was attacked in America on September 11, 2001
• Middle East, Europe, South Asia, and Latin America have been most prone to terrorist attacks

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Human Rights

Human rights are fundamental to all human beings. They have come to be classified into three types:  

• Freedom of speech
• Economic and social rights
• Rights of indigenous minorities

Despite a consensus on this classification, there is still no consensus on which human rights to be considered as universal. 

Global Poverty

• India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Indonesia are the six most populous countries
• The population will triple in the world’s poorest countries. On the other hand, the wealthy countries will experience shrinkage in their population in the next 50 years. This is one of the many reasons for the wide gap between southern and northern countries of the world
• Globally, this disparity contributes to the gap between the Northern and Southern countries of the world
• Within the South, the conditions have been better with the population growth being under control and with the rise in incomes. For example, most of the conflicts happen in the Sub-Saharan region, one of the poorest places

Migration

• Poverty in the South has also led to large-scale migration to seek a better life in the North
• This has created international political enmity
• The migrants and refugees are treated differently in the other country based on international norms
• The states usually accept refugees, but this is not the case with migrants
• The people who have fled their homes but are within national borders are called ‘internally displaced people
• The conflicts in southern countries gave rise to a number of refugees  
• 55 Lakhs of people were killed in 93 wars from 1990-1995, which involved 70 states
• Consequently, many communities, individuals, and families were made to leave their homes forcefully by destroying their livelihood and living environments
• In the early 1990s, the best example of an internally displaced community is Kashmiri Pandits, who fled the violence in the Kashmir Valley 

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Health Epidemics

• The epidemics traveled across the globe through business, migration, tourism, and travel. By 2003, an estimated four crore people were infected with HIV AIDS worldwide, two-thirds of them in Africa and half of the rest in South Asia
• Greater integration of nations makes borders less meaningful when epidemics as a security threat are considered 
• However, for an issue to be classified as a security threat, an issue must share a minimum common criterion 
• In 1994, the Tutsi tribe in Rwanda faced a threat to its existence as nearly five lakhs of its people were killed by the rival Hutu tribe in a matter of weeks. The local situation is a major factor for opting for non-traditional or traditional conceptions of security

Cooperative Security

• Dealing with many non-traditional threats such as poverty alleviation, migration management, tackling epidemics, etc., requires a cooperative effort from diverse stakeholders instead of military confrontation  
• Cooperation may be bilateral (i.e., between any two countries), regional, continental, or global 
• Cooperative security may include both international and national organizations (the UN, the World Health Organisation, the World Bank, the IMF, etc.), non-governmental organizations (Amnesty International, the Red Cross), and great personalities (e.g., Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela) 
• Cooperative security may use force against governments who are killing their own people or are ignoring their misery
• The cooperative security is liable to use violence against any terrorists or country or region which harbors them
• When the force is collectively applied by a community which is called non-traditional security, it is much better than by an individual country

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Conclusion

Global security is the protection of the world from such circumstances that cause problems on economic, political, cultural, and human rights aspects. Several new threats to global security have come up such as terrorism, cooperative security, migration, and global poverty. Terrorism puts at risk the lives of individuals, and ultimately violates human rights. Global poverty is a widespread problem and creates large gaps between nations in terms of economic stability. Migration is another problem as it creates problems such as discrimination and unemployment. Health epidemics like HIV AIDS and pandemics such as the present COVID-19 lead to the loss of life and uncertainty. These issues must be battled in order to establish peace, security, and stability.