Security in the Contemporary World — Practice

Question 1

Distinguish between traditional and non-traditional concepts of security.

Accepted Answer

TRADITIONAL SECURITY (TS): (1) THREAT SOURCE: Military attack from another nation-state — armies, missiles, nuclear weapons. (2) REFERENT (what needs protecting): The nation-state — its territory, sovereignty, and borders. (3) MEANS: Deterrence (making attack too costly), defence (armed forces), balance of power, military alliances (NATO, Warsaw Pact). (4) EXAMPLE: India's conventional and nuclear defence against Pakistan and China. NON-TRADITIONAL SECURITY (NTS): (1) THREAT SOURCE: Non-military threats from both states and non-state actors — terrorism, climate change, pandemics, energy scarcity, water conflicts, migration. (2) REFERENT: Expanded beyond the state to include individuals, communities, and humanity ('human security'). (3) MEANS: International cooperation, multilateral institutions (WHO, UNFCCC), intelligence sharing, treaties, economic tools. (4) EXAMPLE: COVID-19 pandemic required WHO coordination, global vaccine production, and joint border protocols — no single country could protect itself alone. KEY DIFFERENCE: Traditional security is state-centred and military-focused; non-traditional security is people-centred and multi-domain. Both are necessary — they are complementary, not alternatives.

Question 2

Why is terrorism considered a non-traditional security threat? Discuss with reference to the post-9/11 world.

Accepted Answer

TERRORISM AS A NON-TRADITIONAL SECURITY THREAT: Terrorism is classified as non-traditional security because it comes primarily from NON-STATE ACTORS (terrorist organisations — Al-Qaeda, ISIS, LeT) rather than nation-states, and cannot be addressed through traditional deterrence (you cannot deter a suicide bomber by threatening to bomb his country of origin). WHY IT DOESN'T FIT TRADITIONAL SECURITY: (1) NON-STATE ACTORS: Traditional security assumes states are the primary threat. Terrorism is carried out by organisations — networks that operate across borders, without a fixed territory to defend. You cannot threaten Al-Qaeda's 'capital city.' (2) ASYMMETRIC: Small, cheap attacks (the 9/11 hijackings cost ~$500,000 to plan and execute) can cause catastrophic damage (~$3 trillion in direct and indirect costs). Traditional defence budgets are not designed for this asymmetry. (3) REQUIRES DIFFERENT TOOLS: Intelligence sharing, financial monitoring (cutting off terrorist funding), border management, de-radicalisation programmes — not just military force. POST-9/11 DEVELOPMENTS: The September 11, 2001 attacks (Al-Qaeda, USA — ~3,000 killed) transformed global security policy. The 'War on Terror' began — involving: Afghanistan invasion (2001), massive expansion of intelligence agencies (NSA surveillance), creation of the Department of Homeland Security, new international cooperation mechanisms (FATF financial monitoring, Interpol database sharing). INDIA'S EXPERIENCE: 26/11 (November 2008 — Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists attacked Mumbai, killing 166) showed that India faces a specific NTS threat from Pakistan-based terrorist groups. India's response required intelligence cooperation, financial action against LeT, and diplomatic pressure on Pakistan — not just military response. CHALLENGE: Terrorism sits between traditional and non-traditional security — it requires military response (counterterrorism) but also non-military tools (intelligence, development, de-radicalisation).

Question 3

How does climate change pose a security threat? Discuss India's vulnerability and its security response.

Accepted Answer

CLIMATE CHANGE AS A SECURITY THREAT: Climate change is no longer just an environmental issue — it is a fundamental security challenge that the military and security establishments of major countries now recognise. WHY IT IS A SECURITY ISSUE: (1) EXISTENTIAL THREAT TO SMALL ISLAND STATES: The Maldives (average elevation ~1.5 metres above sea level) faces complete submersion if sea levels rise by 2+ metres. Kiribati, Tuvalu, and Marshall Islands are similarly threatened. This is not a slow, abstract process — entire nations could cease to exist. (2) FOOD AND WATER SECURITY: Extreme weather events (droughts, floods, unseasonal rains) destabilise agricultural production. India's Himalayan glaciers — the 'water towers of Asia' — are retreating. The Ganges, Brahmaputra, Indus, and Yangtze rivers, fed by glaciers, supply water to ~2 billion people. Glacier loss threatens long-term water availability. (3) CLIMATE REFUGEES: Bangladesh is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world — 25% of its territory is less than 1 metre above sea level. Projected climate migration from Bangladesh to India (already a politically sensitive issue) could involve tens of millions of people over the next decades. 'Climate migration is India's non-traditional security challenge from the south.' (4) CLIMATE CONFLICT: Resource scarcity caused by climate change can trigger conflict. The Sahel region of Africa has seen growing conflict between farmers and pastoralists as desertification pushes herders south into agricultural areas. Lake Chad (source of water for Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon) has shrunk by 90% since the 1960s — contributing to the Boko Haram insurgency. (5) INFRASTRUCTURE AND URBAN VULNERABILITY: India's coastal megacities (Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata) face growing flood risk. The 2005 Mumbai flood killed ~1,000. The 2015 Chennai flood killed ~300. INDIA'S VULNERABILITY: India is the world's third-largest annual CO2 emitter (~2.9 billion tonnes in 2023) but has very low per capita emissions (~2 tonnes/person, vs USA at ~14 and China at ~8). India is one of the MOST climate-vulnerable countries — it regularly ranks in the top 10 of the Global Climate Risk Index due to: heat waves (2022, ~4,400 deaths attributed to heat), monsoon disruption, Himalayan glacier retreat, sea level rise threatening 7,500 km of coastline. INDIA'S SECURITY RESPONSE: (1) INTERNATIONAL: India signed the Paris Agreement (2015) and committed to Net Zero by 2070. Ambitious NDCs: 500 GW renewable energy capacity by 2030, 50% of electricity from non-fossil sources by 2030. LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) initiative. (2) DOMESTIC: NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) coordinates disaster response. Flood and cyclone early warning systems. MNRE (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy) driving solar and wind expansion. (3) REGIONAL COOPERATION: India has supported climate-vulnerable South Asian nations (Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka) with disaster response, capacity building, and renewable energy. India-Maldives climate cooperation. CONCLUSION: Climate change is a slow-onset, long-duration security threat that differs from terrorism or military attack in its timescale — but is potentially more damaging. The security establishment's engagement with climate (the US Pentagon calls climate change a 'threat multiplier') shows that it has moved beyond the environment ministry into the core of national security planning.

Practice — Security in the Contemporary World

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