Global Security

"It is our belief that national security is no longer simply national but also transnational and transcultural in its scope, and globalization has a significant role to play in the development of security and strategic agendas at all levels. National borders delineating separations between states and national economies, as well as linguistic, cultural, and legal norms, are less distinct than they once were. Security is no longer a zero-sum game and therefore all countries and cultures are dependent on one another in the pursuit of true global security." (THE GEOPOLITICAL AND GEOSECURITY IMPLICATIONS OF GLOBALIZATION edited by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, page 11)

"The principle that we are proposing is termed the “justice-based penta-security principle,” which states: “In a globalized world, security can no longer be thought of as a zero-sum game involving states alone. Global security is a pentagon of human, environmental, national, transnational, and transcultural security, and global security and the security of any one state or culture cannot, therefore, be achieved without good governance (domestic and global) that guarantees security through justice for all individuals, states, and cultures.” Furthermore, these elements of global security do not exist independently, but rather are interdependent and therefore rely on one another to a certain degree." (THE GEOPOLITICAL AND GEOSECURITY IMPLICATIONS OF GLOBALIZATION edited by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, page 11)

"When acting together, individual cultures can have a greater impact on global security than any individual culture could when acting independently. Thus, a plurality of cultures can have a net effect on global security that is greater than would have been the case if representatives of individual cultures acted individually. Thus, we might think of a transcultural synergy. Transcultural security is a vital component of enhancing global security, with the eventual goal of achieving transcultural synergy." (THE GEOPOLITICAL AND GEOSECURITY IMPLICATIONS OF GLOBALIZATION edited by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, page 17)

"This book presented a new security concept that challenges the belief presented by Herz in 1950. Notably, no country can claim or achieve security through its own efforts alone. All countries need one another to achieve global security. We proposed an alternative to the Herz belief that suggests that security be attained through justice for all cultures and nations. The principle that we proposed is called the “justice-based penta-security principle,” which states: “In a globalized world, security can no longer be thought of as a zero sum game involving states alone. Global security is a pentagon of human, environmental, national, transnational, and transcultural security, and global security and the security of any one state or culture cannot, therefore, be achieved without good governance (domestic and global) that guarantees security through justice for all individuals, states, and cultures." (THE GEOPOLITICAL AND GEOSECURITY IMPLICATIONS OF GLOBALIZATION edited by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, page 285)

"States should promote real and perceived fairness and international justice by resolving outstanding international conflicts through international institutions while avoiding hypocrisy and double standards; the success of this implementation will almost certainly result in globalization-mediated global security." (THE GEOPOLITICAL AND GEOSECURITY IMPLICATIONS OF GLOBALIZATION edited by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, page 307)

"Through an assessment of the pillars of globalization and our international system, this publication has illustrated the potential for policy that can make the world more secure, especially as the modern age evolves and the concept of state sovereignty progresses toward a future of cooperative efforts aimed at furthering global security and stability at the human, state, regional, and international levels. Not only is this a recommendation for our secure future, it is a critical component that can no longer be ignored, but rather demands to be heard." (PILLARS OF GLOBALIZATION by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, et al., page 216)

"Blogs can become a powerful tool in promoting positive values, such as social responsibility, tolerance, integrity, justice, restraint, and equal treatment. They can be a great asset in encouraging educational and cultural exchange, and in promoting peace, global security and transnational harmony through the messages and opinions they deliver to their readers." (THE EMERGENCE OF BLOGS AS a Fifth Estate AND THEIR SECURITY IMPLICATIONS by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, page 155)

Global security Discussed

"Thus, while it is this book’s firm proposition that international terrorism is completely unacceptable, whatever its causes, proposed herein is the premise that the application of at least some of the elements of the Octagon would help to generate policies that would contribute to greater global security and peace." (A PROPOSAL FOR INCLUSIVE PEACE AND SECURITY by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, et al., page 26)

"In this chapter, first the importance of awareness about history, cultures, and cultural symbolism will be explored. Then it will be considered how knowledge and recognition of past pains, present pains, fears, and aspirations should be integrated into efforts to enhance global security and peaceful coexistence." (A PROPOSAL FOR INCLUSIVE PEACE AND SECURITY by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, et al., page 30)

"The pursuit of measures to enhance global security also is an important dimension of good governance." (A PROPOSAL FOR INCLUSIVE PEACE AND SECURITY by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, et al., page 70)

"In addition, if states are to contribute to the goal of global justice, state practices should be informed by unqualified commitments to international law and international humanitarian law. Governments that are selective in the commitments to international justice will not only undermine themselves, but also the credibility of moral commitments codified in international laws and international law. The rule of law and not the rule of force should prevail in order to enhance global security. Multilateral institutions will be weakened if states refuse to accept the constraints of international law and international humanitarian law, as well as international treaties." (A PROPOSAL FOR INCLUSIVE PEACE AND SECURITY by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, et al., page 71)

"Mechanisms aimed at advancing global security that enhance good governance include institutional capacities and legal frameworks that support actions in favor of the protection of individuals as moral units and guard against the geopolitical agendas of states. State practices should be informed by unconditional commitments to international humanitarian and international law." (A PROPOSAL FOR INCLUSIVE PEACE AND SECURITY by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, et al., page 74)

"This book set out to propose eight ways of enhancing transnational and global security." (A PROPOSAL FOR INCLUSIVE PEACE AND SECURITY by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, et al., page 125)

"Today, it seems fair to say that it is widely recognized that security involves more than the accumulation of military power. Most policy makers and academics would not argue with the claim that security may be enhanced through, for example, increased police cooperation, institution-building within new states, and the democratic reform of armed forces. Moreover, many would go a step further and claim that human security should be at the center of our attention and of policy agendas. These advancements notwithstanding, we propose an even more comprehensive approach to security. This requires outlining a more complete classification of global security that allows for the consideration of a number of referent objects of security. It also means developing a framework for the pursuit of security that focuses on issues other than those linked to the use of military force." (THE FIVE DIMENSIONS OF GLOBAL SECURITY: Proposal for a Multi-sum Security Principle by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, page 10)

"We propose classifying global security into five substrates: human, environmental, national, transnational, and transcultural security." (THE FIVE DIMENSIONS OF GLOBAL SECURITY: Proposal for a Multi-sum Security Principle by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, page 12)

"However, one facet of global security that has not yet received sufficient attention is transcultural security. In our view, Security Studies should be concerned not only with threats posed to individuals, the environment, and states, but also with cultural and civilizational interactions. Unfortunately, cultural and civilizational questions have been sorely lacking in security thinking, with the exception of the Copenhagen School’s concept of societal security, which suggests that there exist within states collective identities that are not necessarily coterminous with the state that may become securitized (i.e., elevated to a security concern). The identification of the security of groups and cultures within states is particularly important within the context of transnational realities, including migration and irregular immigration and xenophobic and exclusionary tendencies in host societies with regard to culture, political beliefs, and religion. A better understanding of different cultures and greater tolerance and respect for diversity could help to prevent or at least mitigate some of the most pressing security concerns of our day." (THE FIVE DIMENSIONS OF GLOBAL SECURITY: Proposal for a Multi-sum Security Principle by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, page 13)

"At the level of the international political community, alliance building and the coexistence of civilizations are critical when dealing with transnational threats to security. Nevertheless, the end that we have in mind is not simply coexistence between cultural groups and civilizational forms. We argue that a synergy must be found within these cultural groups and civilizational forms, even if competition and non-violent conflict can sometimes generate improvements in the human condition. This is particularly the case in an age of intensified transcultural interaction. When acting together, individual cultures and civilizations can have a greater impact on global security than any individual culture or civilization could when acting independently. Thus, a plurality of cultures can have a net effect on global security that is greater than would be the case if representatives of individual cultures acted individually. This we might think of as transcultural synergy. Transcultural security is a vital component of enhancing security globally, with the eventual goal of achieving transcultural synergy." (THE FIVE DIMENSIONS OF GLOBAL SECURITY: Proposal for a Multi-sum Security Principle by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, page 13-14)

"In an effort to contribute to a more inclusive approach to global security, we wish to propose a new principle of security, which we will call the multi-sum security principle, which states that: “In a globalized world, security can no longer be thought of as a zero-sum game involving states alone. Global security, instead, has five dimensions that include human, environmental, national, transnational, and transcultural security, and, therefore, global security and the security of any state or culture cannot be achieved without good governance at all levels that guarantees security through justice for all individuals, states, and cultures." (THE FIVE DIMENSIONS OF GLOBAL SECURITY: Proposal for a Multi-sum Security Principle by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, page 15-16)

"We argue that global security may be thought of analytically as comprising five dimensions of security. In each of the subsequent sections, we discuss each substrate of global security in turn. Within each respective section, we define our understanding of each substrate, highlight some of the major issues of each of the five dimensions of global security, and specify some of the achievements and outstanding challenges within each substrate." (THE FIVE DIMENSIONS OF GLOBAL SECURITY: Proposal for a Multi-sum Security Principle by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, page 16)

"Having outlined the principle, we then explore the relationship between injustice and insecurity within the five substrates of global security and suggest what it might mean to pursue justice in each of our substrates." (THE FIVE DIMENSIONS OF GLOBAL SECURITY: Proposal for a Multi-sum Security Principle by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, page 18)

"Human security challenges the traditional notion of national security by arguing that the proper referent object of security should be the individual rather than the state. A people-centered view of security is thus deemed necessary in order to achieve national, regional, and global security." (THE FIVE DIMENSIONS OF GLOBAL SECURITY: Proposal for a Multi-sum Security Principle by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, page 26)

"Yet, we wish to go further by arguing that, when acting together, individual cultures can have a greater impact on global security than any individual culture could have were it to act in isolation." (THE FIVE DIMENSIONS OF GLOBAL SECURITY: Proposal for a Multi-sum Security Principle by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, page 30)

"These contributions notwithstanding, we proposed a new classification of global security that allows for the individual and the state to be considered as referent objects of security, but that does not limit referents to these two entities. In addition, we wished to elaborate on the question of culture and to emphasize that the security of diverse cultural groups and civilizational forms is dependent on, at the very least, cooperation between these entities. Therefore, we subdivided global security into five major substrates: human, environmental, national, transnational, and transcultural security. Having proposed this new classification of security, which allows for a variation of referent objects and also a variety of means with which to enhance security, we also put forward a new security principle, which we termed the multi-sum security principle." (THE FIVE DIMENSIONS OF GLOBAL SECURITY: Proposal for a Multi-sum Security Principle by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, page 34)

"In our view, the idea of competing cultures needs to be expanded. There needs not only to be a modus vivendi, but a synergy found between cultures and civilizations. At the transnational level, alliance building and the coexistence of civilizations will be crucial to dealing effectively with transnational threats to security. This is particularly the case in an age of intensified transcultural interaction. However, the notion of synergy implies much more. It holds that a plurality of cultures can have a net effect on global security that is greater than would be the case if representatives of individual cultures acted individually. Transcultural security is nevertheless a vital component of achieving the objective of transcultural synergy." (THE FIVE DIMENSIONS OF GLOBAL SECURITY: Proposal for a Multi-sum Security Principle by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, page 79)

"In our view, questions of identity and cultural change are important security issues that deserve more attention than they currently receive. Within the current context marked by intense human mobility and instantaneous connectivity, being conscious of the security of groups and cultures within states is especially important if we wish to reduce xenophobic and exclusionary tendencies in host societies with regard to race, political beliefs, and religion. Ultimately, we need to seek not only coexistence between cultural groups and civilizations, but a synergy between them. This belief is based upon the notion that a plurality of cultures can have a net impact on global security that exceeds that of individual cultures." (THE FIVE DIMENSIONS OF GLOBAL SECURITY: Proposal for a Multi-sum Security Principle by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, page 80)

"We pointed out that while global security may analytically be divided into our five suggested substrata, these dimensions are in reality interrelated. Alleviating human insecurity may, for example, require ameliorating environmental security, national security, transnational security, and transcultural security, or some combination of these. For instance, ill-health as a result of water pollution may also represent a transnational security challenge in that it affects a lake surrounded by a number of countries and require cooperation between several national authorities. Another example of interconnections may be human rights abuses affecting human, societal, and transcultural security." (THE FIVE DIMENSIONS OF GLOBAL SECURITY: Proposal for a Multi-sum Security Principle by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, page 85)

"In our view, one of the main means of enhancing global security is the pursuit of justice, not only within political communities inside states but also within the wider global context. While it may seem self-evident that justice constitutes a fundamental consideration when formulating policies, justice as a fundamental security concern is all too often overlooked by policy makers, who may be inclined to view it as a philosophical rather than national-security question. Yet, many of the security challenges that we face today have as their root cause injustice of one kind or another. Consider, for instance, a multiethnic country in which tensions are rising between the ethnic majority and an ethnic minority, who not only suffer from discrimination but also the systematic violation of their basic human rights. Tension is growing between these two communities due to the mobilization of the minority community and its struggle for equal treatment, rendering the situation for individuals, communities, the state, and the region increasingly insecure and unstable. At the heart of this hypothetical security problem is injustice as a result of unequal treatment that violates the dignity of those who do not enjoy full civil and human rights. At the most elementary level, this security concern is fundamentally about justice. Justice, therefore, forms a central dimension of our proposed new security principle, the multi-sum security principle." (THE FIVE DIMENSIONS OF GLOBAL SECURITY: Proposal for a Multi-sum Security Principle by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, pages 87-88)

"In the last chapter, we focused on the security implications of injustice and the significance of justice to the enhancement of global security. Specifically, we argued that injustice is central to understanding insecurity because it generates feelings of alienation. This, we explained, dispossesses people of their agency. The implications of this are highly relevant to security. As long as people feel that they cannot express themselves through regular channels, they will resort to whatever means are available to them in order to be faithful to their evaluative commitments. Furthermore, if injustices are left unaddressed, they will provide fodder for those who seek to propagate insecurity and instability. Therefore, we concluded that, without justice, security will be short-lived, and that justice is imperative for lasting security and stability." (THE FIVE DIMENSIONS OF GLOBAL SECURITY: Proposal for a Multi-sum Security Principle by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, page 99)

"In this chapter, we focus on the centrality of good governance (domestic, regional, and global) to global security. Governance is frequently taken to refer, among other things, to public-sector management, accountability, a functioning legal system, openness, and freedom of information. The term itself is often used to refer to “democratic governance,” based on the tenets of Western political theory. Not surprisingly, therefore, the term “good governance” is viewed with a considerable degree of misgiving in many non-Western parts of the world where a considerable degree of suspicion about the motives behind the promotion of good governance may exist or where its applicability beyond the West is questioned. Nevertheless, good governance, as we understand it, serves as an important means of enhancing security not simply in developing countries and countries in transition from communism, but also in mature democracies that are falling short in this area." (THE FIVE DIMENSIONS OF GLOBAL SECURITY: Proposal for a Multi-sum Security Principle by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, page 117)

"Yet, one dimension of security that merits greater attention, especially at this point in time, is the issue of transcultural relations. In our view, security is not only no longer national but is transnational in its dimensions; it is also transcultural in the sense that relations between diverse cultures are vital to global security." (THE FIVE DIMENSIONS OF GLOBAL SECURITY: Proposal for a Multi-sum Security Principle by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, page 131)

"We argued that a plurality of cultures and civilizational forms can have a net effect on global security that is greater than would be the case in the event of isolated responses. Transcultural security is imperative to creating the conditions under which this may be possible." (THE FIVE DIMENSIONS OF GLOBAL SECURITY: Proposal for a Multi-sum Security Principle by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, page 136)

"In sum, this book has attempted to do three things. First, it proposed a classification of global security, consisting of five interrelated substrata, which constitutes an attempt to provide a comprehensive framework with which to examine challenges and generate responses to security concerns. While human, environmental, national, transnational, and transcultural security are analytically separated, they are interlinked and complementary. Separating them out helps to identify the specific facets of particular security issues. Second, it argued that injustice should be conceived as a security concern, given that it can lead to emotions such as frustration and anger, which risk generating a breakdown of communication and extreme forms of behavior. Lastly, it maintained that ensuring that injustice is avoided or addressed wherever its appears requires good governance at all levels." (THE FIVE DIMENSIONS OF GLOBAL SECURITY: Proposal for a Multi-sum Security Principle by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, page 138)

"An innovative approach to collectively addressing global security issues is reflected in the Multi-sum Security Principle, which states that: “In a globalized world, security can no longer be thought of as a zero-sum game involving states alone. Global security, instead, has five dimensions that include human, environmental, national, transnational, and transcultural security, and, therefore, global security and the security of any state or culture cannot be achieved without good governance at all levels that guarantees security through justice for all individuals, states, and cultures [italics in original].”" (GLOBAL BIOSECURITY: Towards a New Governance Paradigm by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, et al., page 196)

"The third chapter, on global knowledge of histories and cultures, centers on understanding the issues of global poverty and exclusion, and the frustrations that come with this. In this context, the chapter highlights the importance of fostering more consolidated efforts toward establishing equity. It investigates the connection between poverty and transnational threats and tries to see how relative deprivation produces feelings of injustice and can drive people toward terrorism. It shows that global illiteracy is a significant contributory factor toward global security threats. This chapter also demonstrates the significance of understanding others’ fears and grievances, and shows how global illiteracy is a major security threat that can exacerbate these fears. In addition, it shows the significance of understanding the interconnectedness of the world as well as the importance of globalized firms and trade." (THE ROLE OF EDUCATION IN GLOBAL SECURITY by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, page 18)

"Based on the above, we propose an Octagon of the Role of Education in Global Security. As discussed, the octagon is based on eight pillars, namely: 1) empowerment and development; 2) global knowledge of histories and cultures; 3) cultural respect and understanding; 4) communication, exchange, and exposure; 5) global citizenry through responsible media and responsible political statements; 6) global values and equality; 7) abuse of knowledge; and 8) other truths and views. The octagon represents a holistic vision of education and stresses those elements that constitute, in the author’s view, the underlying problems and prerequisites related to the issues of global peace and security." (THE ROLE OF EDUCATION IN GLOBAL SECURITY by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, pages 20-21)

"In today’s interconnected world, which is marked by the ever deepening process of globalization, education is a key to fostering a harmonious global security system. Globalization and education are mutually reinforcing and mutually constitutive. Globalization in the 21st century offers tangible opportunities for sharing knowledge, skills, intellectual assets, and technology." (THE ROLE OF EDUCATION IN GLOBAL SECURITY by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, page 27)

"Fostering analytical skills and critical thinking is of crucial importance in an age of globalization that is marked by multiple global security threats. Critical thinking allows people to interpret incoming information and to understand issues rather than fear them. With the Internet serving as a modern-day “soap box” where every individual can choose his or her own opinion, we need to be able to sift out what information is relevant and reliable. This is a big challenge for education systems, which, for the most part, were developed during a period that was far less interconnected than today’s world. Our education systems need to reorient themselves as part of a knowledge-based society that bombards us with written information that did not have the luxury of having gone through a publishing house or an editor. With millions of children not finishing school in many parts of the world, we need to introduce critical thinking early, and not blind trust for the written word. If such skills are cultivated early enough, we might see a development that closely resembles the process of language acquisition. More importantly, instilling in children the concept of diverging opinions might work against such notions as intolerance and ignorance." (THE ROLE OF EDUCATION IN GLOBAL SECURITY by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, pages 28-29)

"The long-term security of states in the 21st century thus rests on three pillars. These are 1) the multi-sum security principle (a prescription for global security based on justice, multidimensionality and multilateralism); 2) symbiotic realism (a prescription for conducting international relations in an interdependent world where absolute gains are possible); and 3) transcivilizational synergy (a prescription for dealing with collective sub-national and supranational entities). The three concepts naturally give rise to a new national security framework, one that takes the multiplicity of actors and security dimensions into account and recognises the need for multilateral cooperation and transcivilizational synergy. Such a framework is outlined in chapter 6." (THE THREE PILLARS OF SUSTAINABLE NATIONAL SECURITY IN A TRANSNATIONAL WORLD by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, pages 126 – 127)

"Global security will depend on a more sustainable understanding of history, which allows for greater inclusion of cultural and historical specificities." (SUSTAINABLE HISTORY AND THE DIGNITY OF MAN: A Philosophy of History and Civilisational Triumph by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, page 20)

"Global security is important for civilisational triumph because poverty, disease and personal insecurity are all factors that contribute to frustration, despair, alienation, negative self-identity and, ultimately, indignity." (SUSTAINABLE HISTORY AND THE DIGNITY OF MAN: A Philosophy of History and Civilisational Triumph by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, page 233)

"Moreover, there is scant recognition of the centrality of justice to achieving global security. Nonetheless, calls for justice in relation to a number of specific and more general problems are intimately connected to enhancing global security." (SUSTAINABLE HISTORY AND THE DIGNITY OF MAN: A Philosophy of History and Civilisational Triumph by Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan, page 234)

Key Paragraphs

Geostrategy, Geopolitics, Human Nature, International Relations, Conflict Theory, International Security, Global Security, National Security, Altruism, Globalization, Global Justice, Political Justice, Political Theory, Moral Philosophy, Social Theory, Neurophilosophy, Philosophy of History, Diplomacy, Existentialism, History of Ideas, Statecraft, Theory of Knowledge, Political Philosophy, Human Civilization, Dignity, Ethics, Moral Philosophy, Innate Knowledge, Philosophical Approach, Multilateralism, Neorealism, Transcultural, National Security

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