Competing Dimensions of Energy Security: An International Perspective

How well are industrialized nations doing in terms of their energy security? Without a standardized set of metrics, it is difficult to determine the extent that countries are properly responding to the emerging energy security challenges related to climate change, growing dependence on fossil fuels, population growth and economic development. In response, we propose the creation of an Energy Security Index to inform policymakers, investors and analysts about the status of energy conditions. Using the United States and 21 other member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) as an example, and looking at energy security from 1970 to 2007, our index shows that only four countries¡ªBelgium, Denmark, Japan, and the United Kingdom¡ªhave made progress on multiple dimensions of the energy security problem. The remaining 18 have either made no improvement or are less secure. To make this argument, the first section of the article surveys the scholarly literature on energy security from 2003 to 2008 and argues that an index should address accessibility, affordability, efficiency, and environmental stewardship. Because each of these four components is multidimensional, the second section discusses ten metrics that comprise an Energy Security Index: oil import dependence, percentage of alternative transport fuels, on-road fuel economy for passenger vehicles, energy intensity, natural gas import dependence, electricity prices, gasoline prices, sulfur dioxide emissions, and carbon dioxide emissions. The third section analyzes the relative performance of four countries: Denmark (the top performer), Japan (which performed well), the United States (which performed poorly), and Spain (the worst performer). The article concludes by offering implications for policy. Conflicts between energy security criteria mean that advancement along any one dimension can undermine progress on another dimension. By focusing on a 10-point index, public policy can better illuminate such tradeoffs and can identify compensating policies

Soils and global food security: an international perspective

Non-Peer Reviewe

An Economic Analysis of Security Policies

This paper analyses public policy choices in the security economy from an economic perspective. It discusses the role of public goods for national and global security and identifies the importance of the first- and second-order indirect effects of insecurity on economic activity, which include the behavioural responses of agents and the government to security measures, akin to such effects in insurance economics. Furthermore, key public policy trade-offs are outlined, in particular between security and efficiency, globalisation, equity and freedom. The analysis identifies suitable policy options for raising security in the national and international contexts and in view of these trade-offs. A suitable balance between market and non-market instruments in achieving security should be aimed for to minimise the adverse effects of aiming for higher security. In addition, the public good nature of security implies that international coordination of security policies is important, despite this process being itself fraught with enforcement problems.Collective goods; Public policy; Regulation; Risk; Security; Terrorism

The development of Japan’s international human security diplomacy: towards a “normal” country?

This article offers an alternative perspective of Japan’s international human security diplomacy concerning the underlying motivations that has caused Japan to pursue its international human security diplomacy in such proactive and aggressive manner. So far Japan’s involvement in the international human security initiatives had only been examined separately in the literature, with not much attention been given towards it linkage with Japan’s relentless efforts and restraints throughout the decades towards becoming a normal state. This article argues that when Japan’s involvement in international human security is studied together with its underlying ambition of becoming a normal state, the approach can no longer be solely understood as Japan’s effort to compensate the imbalances between its reactive international political posture and its significant status as the world’s third-biggest economy. Instead, this involvement should be examined from the perspective of Japan’s own national security requirements. Most importantly, it should be examined alongside Japan’s effort to strategically participate, contribute, and gain greater autonomy in the international political sphere under its envisioned status as a normal country. From this perspective, the motivation behind Japan’s persistence and aggressive pursuit of its international human security diplomacy becomes clearer under Prime Minister Abe’s “proactive contribution to peace”. It implies a shift in Japan’s security identity from a ‘peace state’ to an ‘international state’ that sees Japan playing a more active role in responding to the structural changes of the international security environment. In particular, it corresponds with Japan’s effort under the Abe administration to inculcate worldwide awareness that becoming a “normal state” is a prerequisite for Japan to collaborate with the international community and contribute effectively towards sustainable world peace and stability

When Lawyers Advise Presidents in Wartime: Kosovo and the Law of Armed Conflict

The events of September 11 changed how we perceive national security as a society, a government, and as individuals. This is as true of national security specialists, who have been aware that America has been at war with terrorism sine at least the 1990s, as it is for those whose sense of geographic security was shattered in New York and Washington. There is talk of “new war” and “new rules,” and concern that we not apply twentieth-century lessons to a twenty-first-century war. Over time, September 11 and its aftermath will test our interpretation and application of domestic law. It may also test the traditional framework under international law for resorting to and applying force. But much will, and should, stay the same for lawyers. As a result, the objective of this paper is to give some personal insight into the application of the law of armed conflict to the 1999 Nato Kosovo air campaign from the perspective of a lawyer serving the president as commander in chief. National-level legal review is critical to military operations, not just in determining whether the commander in chief has domestic and international legal authority to resort to force, but also in shaping the manner in which the United States employs force. Lawyers also have an important role to play in sustaining “good-government” process, offering a degree of detachment and long-term perspective

To What Extent Is the Security Dilemma an Inescapable Feature of International Security?

This essay attempts to explore to what extent the security dilemma is an inescapable feature of international security. The three main schools of thought in international relations theory offer different perspectives on this issue. Realism asserts that the security dilemma is entirely inescapable. Liberalism, on the other hand, acknowledges its inescapability but argues that it can be mitigated through international cooperation mechanisms. Constructivism takes a different approach, suggesting that the constructed “security dilemma” can be fundamentally overcome by changing interactive behaviors. While liberalism and constructivism challenge realism’s conclusion, neither perspective can successfully refute the notion that the security dilemma is an inherent feature of international security. Liberalism is more applicable to economic matters and lacks explanatory power in the realm of international security, while constructivism tends to be overly idealistic and lacks the ability to effectively address real-world problems

Humanitarian Assistance and the Private Security Debate: An International Humanitarian Law Perspective

The changing nature of armed conflict has had a dramatic impact on the security risks facing humanitarian personnel. Historically, the safety of humanitarian aid delivery was secured through the consent of the relevant Parties to the conflict. However, non-international ethnically-motivated armed conflicts, failed and failing states, and insurgency-based warfare have fundamentally challenged the viability of this traditional security paradigm. In confronting today\u27s complex security climate, humanitarian organizations are faced with a diverse menu of alternatives to enhance their security. The debate over armed protection that has sharply divided the humanitarian community is explored in this paper, including a critique of specific armed protection options. Tensions between the safe and efficient delivery of aid, and principles of impartiality, neutrality and independence are discussed. The implications of humanitarian organizations using private security companies for defensive armed protection have been relatively unexplored, particularly with respect to international humanitarian law. This paper aims to address this shortcoming by considering two threshold questions: is the protected status of humanitarian personnel under international humanitarian law suspended or lost if they use armed private security contractors; and, is humanitarian access to provide relief legally affected by the decision to hire a private security company for armed protection of relief consignments

The UK's global gas challenge

A UKERC Research Report exploring the UK's global gas challenge. This report takes an interdisciplinary perspective, which marries energy security insights from politics and international relations, with detailed empirical understanding from energy studies and perspectives from economic geography that emphasise the spatial distribution of actors, networks and resource flows that comprise the global gas industry. Natural gas production in the UK peaked in 2000, and in 2004 it became a net importer. A decade later and the UK now imports about half of the natural gas that it consumes. The central thesis of the project on which this report is based is that as the UK’s gas import dependence has grown, it has effectively been ‘globalising’ its gas security; consequently UK consumers are increasingly exposed to events in global gas markets. - See more at: http://www.ukerc.ac.uk/publications/the-uk-s-global-gas-challenge.html#sthash.wEP831Zn.dpu

European security: issues and challenges from a Swiss perspective

This paper will first dwell on the differences in security perceptions at an overall level, before examining US an European attitudes. It will then present European Security issues as seen from a Swiss perspective, with an eye on NATO and ESDP. Following that, it will focus on Swiss security policy, neutrality, international cooperation, peace support operations and the fight against terrorism. In conclusion, it will briefly turn to governance issues in Europe, referenced by the Swiss political experience of multiculturalism

DIPL 3150 AA/AB New Dimensions of Human Security

Human security is an interdisciplinary field that conceptualizes security from a multivariate perspective. Unlike other security and policy frameworks, the main unit of analysis of human security is people or individuals. Human security identifies different threats faced by human beings around the globe. Aimed at understanding and mitigating these threats, human security offers different theoretical applications. It is a new paradigm that emerged in the post-Cold-War international security and political contexts. The New Dimensions of Human Security is a multidisciplinary undergraduate course that offers comprehensive understanding about the theoretical tenets and practical dimensions of human security. The course also focuses on the distinction between human security and other policy frameworks including national security, human development, and human rights. This course introduces students to look at contemporary global issues including economic, environmental, social, political, and humanitarian, placing emphasis on critical thinking and comprehension, from a human security perspective