Short Answer Type Questions:
Q1. What is the difference between traditional and non-traditional security? Which category would the creation and sustenance of alliances belong to?
Answer
Traditional Security:
• The traditional notion of security is also concerned with military threats, balance of power and alliance building.
• It is also concerned with internal security.
• In traditional security, there is recognition that co-operation in limiting violence is possible.
• Its main focus is on force only to achieve the target.
Non-Traditional Security:
• Non-traditional notions of security go beyond military threats to include a wide range of threats and dangers affecting the conditions of human existence.
• It is about the protection of people more than the protection of states.
• It consists of dangers such as terrorism, human rights, global poverty and health epidemics.
• It comprises cooperation, hence it protects human or global security.
Creation and sustenance of alliances belong to traditional notion of security.
Q2. What are the differences in the threats that people in the third world face and those living in the First World face?
Answer
The security challenges facing the newly-independent third world countries and the first world in many ways:
• The newly independent countries faced the military conflicts even with their neighbouring states.
• These countries faced threats not only from outside their borders, mostly from neighbours, but also from within.
• Internally, new states worried about threats from separatist movements which wanted to form independent countries.
• Sometimes, the external and internal threats merged.
• hence for the new states, external wars with neighbours and internal wars posed a serious challenge to their security.
Q3. Is terrorism a traditional or non- traditional threat to security?
Answer
Terrorism is a non-traditional threat to wound the peace and order in the country:
• Terrorism refers to political violence that targets civilians deliberately and indiscriminately.
• Terrorist groups seek to change a political context or condition that they do not like by force or threat of force.
• Civilian targets are usually chosen to terrorise the public and to use the unhappiness of the public as a weapon against national governments or other parties in conflict.
• It involves cases such as hijacking planes or planting bombs in trains, cafes, markets and other crowded places.
• After a terrorist attack on World Trade Centre on 11 September 2001, the other governments and public also are paying more attention to terrorism.
Q4. What are the choices available to a state when its security is threatened, according to traditional security perspective?
Answer
As per traditional security perspective, in responding to the threat of war, a government has three basic choices:
• To surrender when actually confronted by war, but they will not advertise this as the policy of country.
• To prevent the other side from attacking by promising to raise the costs of war to an unacceptable level.
• To defend to protect itself when war actually breaks out so as to deny the attacking country its objectives and to turn back or to defeat the attacking forces altogether
Hence, state’s security policy is to prevent war which is called deterrence and with limiting or heading war called defence.
Q5. What is Balance of Power? How could a state achieve this?
Answer
‘Balance of Power’ is a balance between bigger and smaller countries by cooperating with each other economically and technologically. A smaller country is always suspicious to break out a war from bigger or powerful country. Hence, they maintain a balance of power to build up one’s military power together with economic and technological power-to protect one’s own security.
Q6. What are the objectives of military alliances? Give an example of a functioning military alliance with its specific objectives.
Answer
Military alliance also called ‘Alliance Building’ is an important component of traditional security
policy.An alliance is a coalition of states that coordinate their actions to deter or defend against military attack.
Objectives:
• Most alliances are formalised in written treaties and are based on a fairly clear identification of who constitutes the threat.
• Countries form alliances to increase their effective power relative to another country or alliance.
• Alliances are based on national interests and can change when national interests change.
Example: The US backed the Islamic militants in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union in 1980s, but later attacked them when Al-Qaeda, a group of Islamic militants, led by Osama Bin Laden launched terrorist strikes against America on 11th September 2001.
Q7. Rapid environmental degradation is causing a serious threat to security. Do you agree with the statement? Substantiate your arguments.
Answer
Yes, we do agree with the statement because in some situations one country may have to disproportionately bear the brunt of a global problem i.e. environmental degradation causing a serious threat to security, for example, due to global warming, a sea level rise of 1.5-2.0 meters would flood 20% of Bangladesh, inundate most of Maldives and threaten nearly half the population of Thailand, Hence, international cooperation is vital due to global nature of these problems.
Q8. Nuclear weapons as deterrence or defence have limited usage against contemporary security threats to states. Explain the statement.
Answer
Nuclear weapons have limited usage due to arms-control method of cooperation. One of the arms-control treaty was the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) of 1968 to regulate the acquisition of nuclear weapons. As per this treaty those countries that had fasted and manufactured nuclear weapons before 1967 were allowed to keep their weapons and those that had not done so were to give up the right to acquire them. The NPT did not abolish nuclear weapons rather it limited the number of countries that could have them.
Q9. Looking at the Indian scenario, what type of security has been given priority in India, traditional or non-traditional? What examples could you cite to substantiate the arguments?
Answer
India has faced traditional (military) and non-traditional threats to its security that have emerged from within as well as outside its borders. Its security strategy has four broad components:
• To strengthen its military capabilities because:
(a) India has been involved in conflict with its neighbours as Pakistan in 1947-48,1965,1971 and 1999 and China in 1962.
(b) In South Asian Region, India is surrounded by nuclear armed countries. Thus, India’s decision to
conduct nuclear tests in 1998 was justified by the Indian government in terms of safeguarding national security. India first tested a nuclear device in 1974.
• To strengthen international norms and international institutions:
(a) India’s first Prime Minister J.L. Nehru supported Asian solidarity, disarmament, decolonisation and the UN as a forum to settle down international conflict.
(b) India took initiatives to bring about a universal and non- discriminatory non-proliferation regime to enjoy some rights and obligations with respect to weapons of mass destruction.
(c) It used non-alignment to help to carve out an area of peace outside the blocs.
(d) India signed Kyoto Protocol in 1997 to be a part of roadmap for reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases to check global warming.
• To meet security challenges within the country:
(a) Several militant groups from areas such as Nagaland, Mizoram, Punjab, Kashmir have sought to break away from India.
(b) India makes efforts to preserve national unity by adopting a democratic political system by providing freedom of speech and expression alongwith the right to vote.
• To develop its economy:
(a) India develops the way to lift vast mass of citizens out of poverty, misery and huge economic inequalities.
(b) A democratically elected government is supposed to combine economic growth with human development without any demarcation between the rich and the poor.
Q10. Read the cartoon below and write a short note in favour or against the connection between war and terrorism depicted in this cartoon.
Answer
In this cartoon the relation between war and terrorism has been drawn. It is showing that war is feeding terrorism. It is almost true to identify war with terror as both are counter productive. Terrorist targets civilians deliberately and indiscriminately. Civilian targets are chosen to terrorise the public and to use the unhappiness of the public as a weapon against national governments or other parties in conflict.
Long Answer Type Questions:
Q1. What is meant by Security? Mention any four components of Indian security strategy.
Answer: At its most basic, security implies freedom from threats. Human existence and the life of a country are full of threats. We generally say that only those things that threaten ‘core values’ should be regarded as being of interest in discussions of security. Thus, security relates only to extremely dangerous threats — threats that could so endanger core values that those values would be damaged beyond repair if we did not do something to deal with the situation.
India’s security strategy has four broad components which have been used in a varying combination from time to time: (i) The first component was strengthening its military capabilities because India has been involved in conflicts with its neighbours — Pakistan in 1947-48, 1965, 1971 and 1999 and China in 1962. Since it is surrounded by nuclear-armed countries in the South Asian region, India’s decision to conduct nuclear tests in 1998 was justified by the Indian government in terms of safeguarding national security.
(ii) The second component of India’s
security strategy has been to strengthen international norms and international institutions to protect its security interests.
(iii) The third component of Indian security strategy is geared towards meeting security challenges within the country. Several militant groups from areas such as Nagaland, Mizoram, the Punjab and Kashmir among others have from time to time sought to break away from India. India has tried to preserve national unity by adopting a democratic political system.
(iv) There has been an attempt in India to develop its economy in a way that the vast mass of citizens are lifted out of poverty and misery and huge economic inequalities are not allowed to exist.
Q2. Give a comparative analysis of Indian expenditure on traditional and non- traditional security.
Answer: India spends more on traditional security than non-traditional because
(i) India has been involved in conflict with its neighbours as Pakistan in 1947-48, 1965, 1971 and 1999 and China in 1962.
(ii) In South Asian Region, India is surrounded by nuclear armed countries. Hence, India’s decision to conduct nuclear test in 1990 was justified to safeguard national security.
(iii) India’s first tested nuclear device in 1974.
Though India has made efforts to develop its economy and an individual’s security from poverty but still it is lagging behind even now and we are supposed to make more efforts.
Q3. Mention and explain the components and India’s security strategy.
Answer: India has faced traditional military and non-traditional threats to its security that have emerged from within as well as outside its borders. Its security strategy has four broad components i.e.:
1. To Strengthen its Military Capa¬bilities:
Because:
(a) India has been involved in conflict with its neighbours, as Pakistan in 1947-48,1965,1971 and 1999 and China in 1962.
(b) In South Asian Region, India is surrounded by nuclear armed countries. Hence, India’s decision to conduct nuclear test in 1990 was justified to safeguard national security.
(c) India first tested nuclear device in 1974.
2. To Strengthen International Norms and International Institu¬tions:
(a) India’s first Prime Minister J.L. Nehru supported Asian solidarity, disarmament, decolonisation and the UN as a forum to settle down international conflict.
(b) India took initiatives to bring about a universal and non- discriminatory non-proliferation regime to enjoy same rights and obligations with respect to weapons of mass destruction.
(c) It used non-alignment to help to carve out an area of place outside the blocs.
(d) India signed Kyoto Protocol in 1997 to be a part of roadmap for reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases to check global warming.
3. To Meet Security Challenges
within the Country:
(a) Several militant groups from areas such as Nagaland, Mizoram, Punjab, Kashmir have sought to break away from India.
(b) India makes efforts to preserve national unity by adopting a democratic political system by providing freedom of speech and expression alongwith the right to vote.
4. To Develop its Economy:
(a) India develops the way to lift vast mass of citizens out of poverty, misery and huge economic inequalities.
(b) A democratically elected government is supposed to combine economic growth with human development without any demarcation between the rich and the poor.
Q4. Explain the areas of operation of non- traditional notion of security.
Answer: Non-traditional concept of security includes human and global security covering a wide range of threats affecting human existence:
1. It does not cover only the states but
also the individuals and communities also.
2. It emphasises on security on nature of threat and right approach to deal with the threat.
Its sources can be identified as follows:
1. Terrorism refers to political violence to target civilians deliberately and discriminately to use it as a weapon against national government.
2. Human Rights refer to basic conditions which an individual is supposed to enjoy as a human being as political rights, freedom of speech and expression, economic rights, social and civil rights to lead an honourable and dignified life.
3. Global poverty refers to low economic growth, low national income and low standard of living of developing or least developed countries.
4. Health epidemics is a very serious threat to country’s security because severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (ARS), HIV-AIDS, bird flue diseases spread across countries through migration, business, tourism and military operations.
Q5. Write a note on Arms control.
Answer: Arms control regulates the acquisition or development of weapons by adopting following measures:
1. The Anti Ballistic Missiles Treaty in 1992 stopped the US and Soviet Union from using ballistic missiles to limit large scale production.
2. Other arms control treaties were also signed i.e. Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty and Nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) to limit the weapons which many bring large scale destruction.
3. NPT regulated the acquisition of nuclear weapons in 1968.
4. NPT did not abolish nuclear weapons rather it limited number of countries that could have them.
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