Security and War: An Introduction

ISBN-13: 9780745635781 / Angielski

Patricia Owens

Opis

War and Security: An Introduction offers a comprehensive account of the evolving relationship between war, politics and security. Particular focus is given to the history and theory of organized violence and the wider socio-political influences on security from the world wars to the present. Practices of security and insecurity are central to the history of political thought, community formation and how we have organised and understood the changing character of violent conflict. Drawing on a variety of theoretical approaches, this introductory book offers students a new framework for understanding the origins of different theories and practices of security/insecurity and what is stake for war, politics and society. Like war, security can be an instrument of political rule, but also constitutive of much broader political and social systems. To illustrate this, the book is usefully structured around a range of core themes: * political and intellectual contexts; * the ethics and laws of armed conflict; * the relationship between war, society and the insecurities of individuals; * genocide and ethnic cleansing; * insurgency and counter-insurgency; * war and human security; * global wars on/of terror; * non-war and forms of strategic non-violence. Each chapter highlights how war is the key social institution through which the quest for security and modern thinking about security is enacted. With international conflict and security issues at the height of public consciousness, this timely book will be an invaluable resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students of international politics, security studies and related disciplines.