Previous Year: Long Questions with Answers - Security in the Contemporary World (Part - 2)

Q.1. What is the difference between traditional and nontraditional notion of security? Which category would the creation and sustenance of alliance belong to?

Answer: Traditional and non-traditional notions of security differ in their focus, sources of threat and the remedies they propose.
Traditional notion of security

• Focus: Primarily on state survival and protection of territory, sovereignty and political independence from external military threats.
• Sources of threat: Interstate wars, military invasions, arms races and rivalries between states.
• Approach: Emphasises military power, defence preparedness, balance of power and formation of alliances to deter or defeat external aggression.
• Cooperation: May allow limited cooperation such as arms control, confidence-building measures and treaties to reduce the risk of war.
• Scope: Largely state-centred, though it recognises internal stability when it affects national defence.

Non-traditional notion of security

• Focus: Goes beyond military threats to the protection of people and the conditions of human existence (human security).
• Sources of threat: Poverty, hunger, disease, environmental degradation, natural disasters, terrorism, forced migration and social or economic insecurity.
• Approach: Emphasises development, human rights, public health, environmental protection and multilateral cooperation across sectors.
• Scope: People-centred and transnational - threats often require co-operative, non-military responses involving many actors.

Creation and sustenance of alliances belong to the traditional notion of security because alliances are instruments used by states to balance military power, deter aggression and protect territorial sovereignty.

Answer: Yes. Rapid environmental degradation is a serious threat to security under the non-traditional notion of security. The main arguments are:

• Threats to livelihoods and displacement: Sea-level rise and coastal erosion can inundate large populated areas, forcing mass displacement. For example, a rise in sea level of 1.5-2.0 metres could submerge significant parts of low-lying countries, threatening homes, agriculture and infrastructure.
• Food and water insecurity: Soil degradation, changing rainfall patterns and desertification reduce agricultural yields and fresh water availability, increasing competition for scarce resources and raising the risk of conflict.
• Health risks: Pollution and environmental change raise the incidence of respiratory and water-borne diseases. Poor environmental conditions contribute to epidemics and greater health burdens on communities.
• Biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse: The decline of ecosystems undermines services such as pollination and fisheries, affecting incomes and food supply for millions.
• Economic and developmental setbacks: Environmental damage increases poverty and inequality by hitting the poorest communities hardest, reducing resilience and creating long-term instability.
• Transboundary problems: Many environmental threats cross borders (air pollution, river pollution, migratory pests), requiring international cooperation; failure to manage them can strain interstate relations.

For these reasons, environmental degradation directly undermines human security, economic development and social stability, and thus constitutes a serious security threat.

Q.3. Describe the security challenges faced by newly independent countries of Asia and Africa after the Second World War.

Answer: Newly independent countries of Asia and Africa faced security challenges that were often very different from those of established Western states. Major challenges included:

• Internal instability and communal conflict: Many new states experienced conflicts between ethnic, religious or regional groups, which threatened internal order and state cohesion.
• Secessionist and insurgent movements: Some regions or communities sought separate states, leading to violent struggles and political fragmentation.
• Border and territorial disputes: Colonial borders often did not reflect local identities, producing disputes with neighbours and occasional armed clashes.
• Weak state institutions: Administrative, judicial and security institutions were often underdeveloped, making it difficult to maintain law and order and to deliver services.
• Poverty and under-development: Economic deprivation fuelled social unrest, migration and competition for scarce resources, undermining stability.
• Refugees and population movements: Wars, famines and displacements created humanitarian and security pressures within and across borders.
• External interference: Cold War rivalry and former colonial powers sometimes intervened politically or militarily, complicating internal problems.

Overall, these challenges combined political, social and economic dimensions and required both internal reform and external assistance to address them effectively.

Q.4. Describe any three new sources of threat to security giving examples for each.

Answer: Three important new sources of threat to security are:

• Terrorism: Political violence that deliberately targets civilians to achieve political aims. It creates fear, disrupts societies and can destabilise states. Example: Cross-border terrorist attacks that provoke regional tensions.
• Human rights violations and political repression: Denial of political, economic or social rights can provoke domestic unrest, insurgency and international condemnation. Examples include large-scale abuses that trigger refugee flows or foreign intervention.
• Health epidemics: Rapid spread of infectious diseases (HIV-AIDS, SARS, avian influenza, Ebola) can overwhelm public health systems, reduce economic productivity and cross borders quickly because of migration and travel. By 2003, an estimated 40 million people were living with HIV-AIDS worldwide, showing the scale and security implications of such epidemics.

Q.5. Describe migration and health epidemics as the new sources of threat to the non-traditional notion of security. 

Answer: Both migration and health epidemics are non-traditional security threats because they affect people directly and often cross national borders.

• Migration: Large movements of people arise from poverty, conflict, environmental disasters or economic opportunity. Voluntary migrants and refugees place pressures on receiving societies (jobs, housing, services) and can create political friction, social tensions and demands on public resources. Unmanaged migration may strain relations between origin and destination countries.
• Health epidemics: Diseases such as HIV-AIDS, SARS, avian influenza, Ebola and hepatitis spread rapidly through travel, trade and migration. Epidemics cause loss of life, reduce workforce capacity, burden health systems and can set back development. Rapid international spread makes co-operation in surveillance, prevention and treatment essential.

Together, migration and epidemics highlight the need for cross-border public health measures, social protection and international collaboration to protect human security.

Q.6. What is meant by Co-operative Security? How can this be made more effective?

Answer: Co-operative security means addressing security threats through collective action and co-operation among states, international organisations and non-state actors rather than by unilateral or solely military measures. It recognises that many modern threats (epidemics, migration, terrorism, environmental degradation) are transnational and require joint responses.
Ways to make co-operative security more effective:

• Strengthen international institutions: Enhance the capacity and legitimacy of the UN, regional organisations and specialised agencies to coordinate responses and enforce agreements.
• Improve information-sharing and early warning: Build networks for rapid exchange of data on threats (disease outbreaks, terrorist activity, environmental hazards).
• Capacity building and technical assistance: Support weaker states with training, resources and infrastructure to manage crises locally.
• Involve multiple actors: Coordinate governments, NGOs, civil society, the private sector and local communities to ensure comprehensive responses.
• Develop clear legal frameworks and norms: Create binding agreements on issues such as disaster response, health standards and migration to guide collective action.
• Use force only as last resort: Prioritise preventive diplomacy, development, humanitarian assistance and law-based measures before considering military intervention.

Q.7. Read the following passage and answer the following questions : There has been an attempt in India to develop its economy in a way that the vast mass of citizens are lifted out of poverty and misery and huge economic inequalities are not allowed to exist. The attempt has not quite succeeded; we are still a very poor and unequal country. Yet democratic politics allows spaces for articulating the voice of the poor and the deprived citizens. There is a pressure on the democratically elected governments to combine economic growth with human development. Thus democracy is not just a political ideal; a democratic government is also a way to provide greater security.
(i) Mention the major security threats to  India.
(ii) Highlight the broad components of security strategy of democratic India.

Answer: (i) Security threats to India: Terrorism, poverty, diseases and epidemics, human rights violation, ecological issues and illegal migration.
(ii) Components of security strategy: Military capabilities, to strengthen international norms and international institutions to protect its security interests. several militant groups from areas such as the nagaland, Mizoram, the Punjab and Kashmir among other have, from time to time, sought to break away from India. our country India has tried its best to preserve national unity by adopting a democratic political system which allows different groups of people to freely articulate their grievances and share political power.

Answer: Three broad components of India's security strategy are:

• Strengthening military capabilities: India has invested in its armed forces and deterrent capabilities because of conflicts with neighbouring states (for example, wars with Pakistan in 1947-48, 1965, 1971 and 1999, and with China in 1962). Nuclear tests (first in 1974 and later in 1998) were justified by the government as measures to safeguard national security in a region where other states also possess nuclear weapons.
• Strengthening international norms and institutions: India supports multilateralism and international law as means to protect its interests. Historic positions have included support for decolonisation, disarmament, a universal non-discriminatory non-proliferation arrangement, participation in the UN and contribution to UN peacekeeping missions.
• Security within the country: Addressing internal threats such as separatist movements and insurgencies (for example in Nagaland, Mizoram, Punjab and Kashmir) through political processes, security measures and by preserving democratic institutions that allow grievances to be expressed and resolved.
  

Answer: Security means freedom from threats, whether to the state or to people. Four components of India's security strategy are:

• Military preparedness: Maintaining armed forces, strategic deterrence and defence infrastructure to meet external military threats.
• International engagement: Working through international norms, treaties and institutions to reduce threats and build favourable security arrangements.
• Internal security measures: Addressing insurgency, communal tensions and law-and-order challenges while maintaining democratic processes to manage grievances.
• Economic and human development: Pursuing economic growth, reducing poverty and promoting human development so that social and economic insecurities do not become security threats.

Answer: India should adopt a balanced approach that combines elements of both non-traditional and traditional security, tailored to each threat:

• Poverty: Prioritise human security and developmental policies  inclusive economic growth, social welfare, education and employment generation to reduce the root causes of instability.
• Epidemics: Emphasise health security  strengthen public health systems, sanitation, immunisation, disease surveillance and international cooperation for early detection and response.
• Terrorism: Use a mix of measures   robust intelligence and law-enforcement (traditional security) together with political dialogue, de-radicalisation, socio-economic development and protection of human rights (non-traditional measures) to address underlying causes.

This hybrid approach recognises that many threats are interconnected and require both security measures and long-term development and governance solutions.

Q.11. Looking at the Indian scenario, what type of security has been given priority in India, traditional or non-traditional? What examples could you cite to substantiate the arguments?

Answer:  India has historically given priority to traditional security, mainly because of direct military threats from neighbours and the strategic environment in South Asia. Examples that substantiate this are:

• Repeated wars and conflicts with Pakistan (1947-48, 1965, 1971 and 1999) and the 1962 war with China forced India to invest heavily in defence and military preparedness.
• India's nuclear tests first in 1974 and again in 1998 reflected a priority on strategic deterrence and national defence.
• Long-term focus on strengthening armed forces, border infrastructure and defence diplomacy shows emphasis on state-centred security.

At the same time, India increasingly recognises non-traditional threats (health, environment, poverty) and has begun to address them, but the dominant historical emphasis remains on traditional state security.