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National Seminar

 

On

Comprehensive Security Issues and Challenges: An Indian Perspective

16-17 December, 2004

                                                                              Theme Statement

 

The contemporary discourse on security in the Twenty-First Century has shifted its templates from the traditional concept of military security that was part of the Cold War legacy with its focus on territorial and ideological disputes. It now encompasses a more comprehensive field of study that includes various non-traditional threats.

 The global security environment in the 21st century is in a state of flux with the emerging milieu of politico, military diplomatic, socio-economic, dimensions that has provided a scope for a systemic transformation. The canvas of issues in global security is therefore transnational rather than international, non-traditional rather than traditional, asymmetric rather than conventional. There has been a perceptible shift in the focus from the State –centered approach to the individual, who has become the vortex of so called human security.

In the Indian sub continent the perspectives on comprehensive security have begun to include various issues such as migration, social fragmentation, ethnic identity, insurgency, issues of governance, economic backwardness, poverty and other developmental issues apart from the traditional concept of security.

The traditional or conventional approach to security has been one of, the study and practice of military statecraft. The military centric approach in association with the Realist and Neo Realist school of thought in International Relations has gradually given way to the Liberalist school which stresses on security of the people rather than the security of the state and territory alone.

The Non-Traditional Security aspects provide a wider ambit and   scope in examining the various issues and challenges that confront strategic and security policies of a state. Today, in contrast to the cold war era, the issues, which largely determine the evolution of conflict, are in the form of socio-economic polarization, human security issues, problems of environmental constraints. These issues along with proliferation of military technologies is likely to dominate the Indian scenario in the next few decades.

India’s pluralistic image has given rise to various socio political issues, such as insurgency, naxalite problems, terrorism, ethnic identity crises etc. that need governmental intervention. At the economic level, the emergence of a global economy and its repercussions have had a   destabilizing effect on India’s development .The existing factors of slow economic growth and absence of an effective resource management strategy have contributed to the rise of low intensity conflicts. The quality and responsiveness of the state administration in addressing and resolving these challenges will determine its political stability.

In the light of the paradigm shift in the conceptualization of security, there is a strong need felt for formulating a comprehensive national security doctrine and an operational strategy that aims at tackling both internal and external threats. The rationale of this seminar emerges from the complexity and multiple dimensions of the issues concerning traditional and non- traditional security.

 

OBJECTIVES:

Ř      To initiate a rethinking on the concept of contemporary comprehensive security in the Indian context.

Ř      To locate the context and arrive at a succinct definition of comprehensive security.

Ř      To evolve Indian theoretical perspectives on comprehensive security.

Ř      To identify areas of concern and debate effective strategies to address the issues.

Ř     To create a greater consciousness on vital policy issues and elicit greater public response