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Regular version of the site
Master 2019/2020

Comparative Security and Defense Policy

Type: Elective course (Political Analysis and Public Policy)
Area of studies: Political Science
Delivered by: Public Policy Department
When: 2 year, 1, 2 module
Mode of studies: offline
Master’s programme: Political Analysis and Public Policy
Language: English
ECTS credits: 4
Contact hours: 40

Course Syllabus

Abstract

It is not easy to conceive of a world and its policy space without the security dimension around it. The social construct of the modern world does have a larger security question and the dilemma on this has only exacerbated. The regional configurations or the political alignments of the new political order does demand the social and political stability as the precondition for progress and hence the security becomes quite paramount. In the more technical language of social science, security is often referred to as an ‘essentially contested concept’ (see Galli1956), one for which, by definition, there can be no consensus as to its meaning While in one sense this is certainly true – security undoubtedly means different things to different people Particularly centered to have a fair understanding of this discipline is evolved around on five concepts – Great power politics, technological innovation, the internal dynamics of academic debates and institutionalization. (Buzan and Hansen 2009). It is impossible to make sense of world politics without reference to it. Every day, people somewhere in the world are killed, starved, tortured, raped, impoverished, imprisoned, displaced, or denied education and healthcare in the name of security. All this makes security a fascinating, often deadly, but always important topic of study in the comparative basis to observe and discern the comparative policy in the matters of security.
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

  • The historical evolution of the security policies of the states both in the post war era and after the fall of the Berlin wall in Europe.
  • The course has a global outlook in analyzing the comparative aspect of defence and security policies both in the Global North and the Global South.
  • The course shall study the impact of the non state actors in the stabilization/destabilization of the security policy making.
  • The policymaking and governance of defence and security in regional institutions
  • Equip students through the general concepts and theoretical knowledge of the idea of security – its different dimensions and the challenges.
Expected Learning Outcomes

Expected Learning Outcomes

  • The students shall have a basic understanding about the key security challenges of the 21st century and knowledge to identify the emerging challenges too.
  • Have the substantial knowledge, comparative material and critical analytical tools to gain deeper insights into - and educate the judgment on - the principled issues at stake about the policy making spaces in security and defense areas. The students shall be aware of the various regional, transnational security and the defense organizations.
  • The students shall be aware of the main trends and current affairs in the politico-religious landscape of Asia, Africa and Europe. This will include comparisons with the landscape in other parts of the world, in particular the US.  Be in the position to identify the main debates on Security and defense policy making and the role of the regional and multi lateral organization.
  • Students will learn about the debates in security policy making process and the role for the non state actors and political theory on the viability and continued justification of the defense build up in the post cold war era
Course Contents

Course Contents

  • What are the key security studies issues –whose security, how can it be achieved?
    The lecture will discuss the key security challenges about the idea of security in the larger perspective of the 21st century challenges. We shall also examine in what way this security can be achieved without jeopardizing the balance of power in the security space.
  • The political Subsystem- Defense and security policy processes - Political Security of the government and regimes - ideologies for legitimacy
    The section shall examine the different security policy processing of the various types of governments and their respective regimes .The students shall be asked to identify how the defense policy is being planned out by different states while organizing the idea of legitimacy around the security doctrine .
  • Societal security policy in regional and multilateral context: The policies of the sustainability and evolution of traditional patterns in state security
    The engagement shall try to identify the other peripheral poliyc design and the learning process patterns of language, culture, and religious and national identity and custom that consolidates and enhances the idea of common security
  • Environmental security policy, Climate Risks: the sustainable development goals for the vulnerable states – The security for the next generation
    The engagement shall focus on the sustainability as the core condition for the security of the next generation where the environmental hazard has loomed large. The increasing fragility of the ecology shall be discussed in the relationship of the military-industrial complex and the debate to unhinge this untenable path
  • The Economic security: a. access to the resources and The Geography of Wars. b. Finance and markets as the preconditions for alliances and defense organizations
    This engagement shall dwell upon in detail the security risks for the maintenance and upkeep of the resources by the powerful states and the struggle by the weaker states to preserve their sovereignty in the real term.Besides, the engagement shall try to examine the financial spaces as the necessary' glue and logic " for the creation and consolidation of the defense alliances
  • Military security Policy : interplay between the armed offensive and defensive capabilities of states and interplay of the military alliances organizations
    The asymmetric aspect in the security policy has witnessed an unprecedented growth over the years where the definitive capabilities of states has forced to work through in non conventional ways to maintain security on the one hand while the existing or emerging security alliances are the other important aspect of maintaining and enhancing their competitive strength
  • Study of military security Policy as one of the emerging area of the Public Policy concern beyond of security studies /strategic studies, b. Target centered global threat assessment and policy limitations
    The engagement shall through the critical studies perspective try to observe the increasing public engagement in the policy formulation related to the security studies. The global threat assessment and the policy limitations for the think tanks shall be another area of inquiry to understand the limitation of tools for the policy makers in the fragile security environment
  • Violence and Insecurity- Gendered perspective on the security studies , b. The policies of the major powers on the IDP and conflict regions area –their implication
    The conflict does have a more devastating effect on the most vulnerable segments of the society namely - the women and the minors and the internally displaced persons in the Policy makers does require a gendered perspective to minimize the damage
  • Defense and security policy space as an enterprise in the global political economy and regional policy process
    The security and defense policy space has over the years grown into an industry where the regional alliances are not restricted on the security issues but are predicated by the larger menu of economic and political consideration .
  • Cyber threats, International terrorism, weapons of mass destruction – Major challenges and the policy making process of the states and the regional military organizations to overcome these challenges
    One of the most alarming issue at hand is the increasing sophistry of the cyber security issue where both the terrorist organizations and the state security apparatus are outwitting one another in a never ending contest.The states and the regional organization are to confront in an unprecedented manner this vast range of new challenges both at the regional and global level
  • Globalization questioned ?, Crisis and Security and Global Rivalries- Challenges for the mapping a new security policy platform
    This concluding thematic shall try to identify the new trends by the revisionist forces where the liberal order based security arrangements have been frayed and now there is an immediate new sets of conventional and non conventional security crisis based on the enhanced and heated rivalries thus necessitating of the new maps of security based on the new security policy
  • Is it different from the defense/strategic policy studies Global security issues –Existential and emancipating threats
    The topic does try to examine in what way the Policy issues in the security and defense area takes the central role of inquiry in our study rather than mainstream global security discourse
  • Political security of the states – Policy making process for the organizational stability of states
    In this section students shall be asked to observe the capacity and the organizational strength of the states while setting the defense and security policy agenda
  • International Migrations, Security and Identity
    With the acceleration of the migration and immigration happening worldwide there is a twin danger of the identity politics, ghettoization of the newly arrived community - the security challenges have become more acute even during the peace time thus necessitating the constant update of the security policy
Assessment Elements

Assessment Elements

  • non-blocking Active participation in class
  • non-blocking Final essay
  • non-blocking Midterm paper
  • non-blocking Group presentation
Interim Assessment

Interim Assessment

  • Interim assessment (2 module)
    0.1 * Active participation in class + 0.4 * Final essay + 0.2 * Group presentation + 0.3 * Midterm paper
Bibliography

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

  • Buzan, B., & Hansen, L. (2009). The Evolution of International Security Studies. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=304838
  • Coletta, D. (2007). Unipolarity, Globalization, and the War on Terror: Why Security Studies Should Refocus on Comparative Defense. International Studies Review, 9(3), 385–406. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2486.2007.00696.x

Recommended Additional Bibliography

  • Kraska, J. (2011). Arctic Security in an Age of Climate Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=375954