Security studies have
been a subject of research academically not long ago and so far its definition
is still very arbitrary. For its traditional aspects, security mainly of a
state fell in between safety and threats – the ability to increase greater safety
and minimize upcoming threats from internal and external. From this point of
views, security studies tended to be matched with realist areas of specialists.
However, in reality security is not just of a concern of the states but
different levels ranging from state leaders, bureaucracy, and societal groups.
Then security from this ground is not anymore a subject to threats, peace or
military force, security studies in a growing sense and of many factors has
moved away from its traditional definition. Security studies in this modern
time largely focus not only on military power, proliferation of arms but also
about diplomacy, crisis management, poverty, and energy and many other
nonmilitary issues etc. Today’s issues are mostly borderless. It may pose harm
to any states at its effect.
Throughout the history,
security aspects departed from just covering power superiority and military
capability to failure of controlling weapon of mass destruction, arms
trafficking and side-effects of nuclear weapons etc. In a failed or weak state,
weapon is not serving to stabilize the country but would rather destabilize
since very weak central government could cause corruptive actions and numerous
irregularities which allow arm smugglers to trade arms easily. Hence, security
studies was seen to incorporate more and more emerging issues of this global
world. Its coverage simply expanded with the time since the end of WWII and
even multiply enlarged right after the end of the Cold War.
There are possibly few
reasons why security studies have been enlarged over time. Access to issues by
greater freed of data sharing, the end of bipolar world which often drew
attention on ideologies versus reemerging of powerful states in the regions
such as the EU, India, China and Russia etc., the openness of scholarly studies
which has led to various publication of different books, articles about
security, and last but not least the full coverage of mass media.
In brief, security
studies have been getting more and more attention from all sectors. One should
not undermine security studies as not important, especially after the end of
the Cold War where any thinkers were welcoming the peace-dividend – no more
worries about military power and just take time to focus more on social and
economic aspects. But not all, the worse and complicated violent conflicts
happens in Rwanda, Sudan, former Yugoslavia, and in the Middle East remind that
security studies not just simply important but seriously vital and they must
take more comprehensive, more holistic approach and even longer term visionary
than ever before.
Iiterally, so as security ties to almost all issues including
politics, economic, domestic, international & regional community,
ideologies, identity and last but not least the power of each and every
individual’s mind. The security focused is widely depended on the circumstance,
times and space it is facing. During volatile time, military powers gains much
higher attention while in stable time nonmilitary issues take place instead.
Hence, the study of security is still relevant through time. And in fact, in
our current world there are inflations of security studies since the academic
sphere enjoys much higher encouragement and support both financial and
technical from the public. For some reason, security studies may even go ahead
of time since thinkers could foresee the future with their warning-system.
Security studies is
crucial for both academic and strategist nationalist, but studying security
does not always contribute to peace and stability. Unless the world has a clear
fact and fixed issues then they can have a precise solution to preserving
security of a state or nation. But we are doing security studies versus social
facts, the facts that always change and update their apparent, size, impacts in
every second. Can we say with a clear-cut this is a security concern and that
is not? Security studies for some time might lead to biases and miscalculation.
The war in Iraq in 2003, for example, was the outcome of wrong security
studies. The U.S was very selective in choosing factors and hypotheses in order
show that it was threated to peace and required a necessary move to do
pre-emptive strike against Saddam Hussein government in 2003.
