Human Security Research Paper

The development and security relationship has formed diverse debate in the field of international studies. Despite all the research undertaken over the years on their connection there has been no accepted perception owing to the terms development and security being highly contested, ambiguous and diverse.

Development in the past was defined in the simplest form as economic growth and the reduction of poverty. Dudley Seers states that “focusing on national income as a target for poverty reduction avoids the real problems of development” (Seers 1969). He defines development as “the idea of creating the conditions for the realisation of the potential of human personality” (Seers 1969). Dudley’s definition looks at indicators for development being

This expounded on the concept of security from, ‘freedom of fear” to “freedom of wants”. Human security incorporates not just the achievement of minimal levels of material needs, but also the absence of severe threats to them of an economic or political kind such as: economic security, food security, health security, environmental security, personal security, community security and political security.

This paper will examine the different concepts of the relationship between development and security using practical contemporary examples, applicable to reason that the two notions despite evolving through time do have unities that influence each other and cannot be overlooked in international studies.

This section will explore the various perceptions on security and development, in order to understand the connection between the two and how they influence each other. According to Hettne “the practice of security and the acts of development are entwined and “indeed, in current policy, the ‘inextricable links’ between security and development are repeated like a mantra” (Hettne 2010, p.

Duffield states that “development has been radicalised and that it sets out to transform societies” (Duffield 2001:37ff). In that development has been moderated and diversified from being an ideal of modernisation, and is no longer aimed at creating economic and social structures in the south that are similar to the North. Duffield quotes a speech from former Prime Minister Tony Blair when speaking on the United Kingdom’s interest in development in Africa; stating that “famines and instability ‘thousands of miles away lead to conflict, despair, mass migration and fanaticism that can affect us all. So for reasons of self-interest as well as morality, we can no longer turn our back on Africa’ (Blair 2005)” and “because development reduces poverty and hence the risk of future instability, it also improves our own security” (Duffield 2007, p. 2).This trend towards security first then development approach has continued with the increased emphasis on fragile and conflict-affected states. Let’s take the example of Sierra Leone, that transitioned from a post conflict nation to a less developed nation, it has had development interventions come through security programmes aimed at ensuring the country does not plunge into war again. According to the