Lecture Notes: International Security Studies (ISS) and Related Topics

Introduction to International Security Studies (ISS)

• Focus on protection of state from external threats.
• ISS addresses threats to state survival and international status quo.
• Key Guidelines:
  • Non-Interference: Theoretical ban on intervention; however, states often interfere.
  • No Use of Force: States cannot invade or seize other territories (e.g., Russia's actions).
• Human Rights Protection: Recognized as a cornerstone, despite cultural and interpretation differences.

Barry Buzan's "What is Security?"

• Security beyond military power; includes pandemics, climate change, cyberattacks.
• Shift from traditional military focus to nationalism, cybersecurity, environmental security.

ISS Post-1945

• Originated during WWII to prevent future global threats.
• Post-war security framework led to U.S.-Soviet spheres of influence.

Broadened Security Agenda Post-Cold War

• New threats like nuclear war and terrorism shaped policies.
• MAD principle (mutual assured destruction) effective in maintaining peace.
• Security threats also include social and environmental challenges.

Operation Warp Speed

• Example of successful ISS policy accelerating COVID-19 vaccine development.

Buzan’s Four Questions on ISS

1. Who to protect? Typically national people.
2. Include internal threats? Yes, as international crimes.
3. Security beyond military? Yes, includes broader frameworks.
4. Security tied to dynamics of threats and dangers.

Security Boundaries and Concepts

• Security evolves with the political environment.
• Historical context influences security focus (e.g., post-WWII military focus).

Complementary, Parallel, and Oppositional Concepts

• Concepts like deterrence, strategy, intelligence are crucial for ISS policies.
• ISS is related to disciplines like power, sovereignty, human rights.

Changes Post-Cold War

1. Decline of large-scale wars.
2. Shift from East-West to North-South axis.
3. Structural change from bipolar to unipolar/multipolar world.

Neoliberal Institutionalism

• Focus on institutions managing global issues.
• Institutions like WHO play a role in fostering cooperation and reducing conflict.

Constructivism

• Emphasizes cultural and ideational factors in understanding security.
• Security as a social construction; norms and identity play key roles.

Human Security Post-Cold War

• Shift from state-centric to people-centered security.
• Includes threats like ethnic conflicts, environmental degradation, pandemics.

Responsibility to Protect (R2P)

• Emerged from failures like Rwanda and Srebrenica.
• Focus on preventing, reacting, and reconstructing after mass atrocities.

New Types of Wars

• Actors: Rise of non-state actors and hybrid wars.
• Goals: Identity politics play a role in conflicts.
• Methods: Focus on controlling populations rather than territories.
• Finance: Wars fueled by predatory practices.

Nuclear Proliferation

• Debate: More nuclear weapons can be stabilizing (Waltz) vs. destabilizing (Sagan).
• MAD principle plays a role in deterrence strategy.

Transnational Organized Crime

• Crimes conducted across borders; difficult to tackle due to complex networks.
• Focus on nodes and tackling the network to address organized crime.

Terrorism

• Definition challenges; influence of political motives.
• Focus on acts rather than who is a terrorist.

International Criminal Law

• Protects humanity from major international crimes.
• Genocide, crimes against humanity, and crimes of aggression are key areas.

Case Study: Russian Invasion of Ukraine

• Legal responses and international accountability for crimes of aggression.

This lecture series provides a comprehensive overview of international security studies, covering historical developments, contemporary challenges, and theoretical frameworks.