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The future of global human security
The international community must put humanitarian interventions back on the
agenda for global human security to become a viable goal, according to a new
book by two RMIT University academics.
Globalization and Human Security, by Professor Joseph Siracusa and Associate
Professor Paul Battersby, argues that the principle of state sovereignty must be
reconsidered in a world where humanity faces global threats.
Professor Siracusa, Discipline Head of Global Studies at RMIT, said state-centric
approaches to human security were doomed to fail in the globalised age.
“We have to get our global house in order, if we are ever to stand a chance of
getting the rest of the pieces in order,” he said.
“The biggest threats to human security cannot be managed by individual countries,
but only through a community of nations, working together.
“And humanitarian interventions have to be on the table – the international
community must accept that it has a responsibility and an obligation to look after
those people whose governments are unable or unwilling to protect them.”
The book is one of the first to bring together the two main ideas of the modern age
– globalisation and human security. It highlights the role of international
organisations and NGOs, emphasising the importance of human rights and arguing
for the development of an effective intervention capacity to protect individuals.
Associate Professor Battersby, Associate Professor of International Relations in
the School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning, said human security
covered a broad range of threats, including poverty, natural disasters, human
trafficking, terrorism and economic collapse.
“The current financial meltdown underscores the interdependence of nation states
in today’s globalised economic markets – we can’t escape the fact that we are all in
the same boat,” he said.
“This book looks at the impact of globalisation on threats to our survival and offers
a blueprint for human security in the 21st century – it’s a survival kit for our times.”
Globalization and Human Security (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, $27.95) will be
launched at RMIT’s Storey Hall on Tuesday, 12 May.
For interviews: Professor Joseph Siracusa, (03) 9925 1744 or 0409 878 331.
Associate Professor Paul Battersby, (03) 9925 2308 or 0400 535 976.
For general media enquiries: RMIT University Media and Communications,
Gosia Kaszubska, (03) 9925 3176 or 0417 510 735.
29 April, 2009
NEWS 
