Human Security – concepts and challenges in Turkey and the western Balkans hCa, Istanbul 19 th February, 2013 Mary Martin

What do we mean by ‘human security’? 2 ways of looking at it 1. WHO? People – humanising security HOW ? Means are as important as goals ; human security as an approach as well as an end state WHAT? The importance of everyday life; interconnected threats; justice – Freedom from Fear, Freedom from Want, and Right to Dignity – Focus on what kind of humans as well as what kind of harms ‘

The European Union and HS Barcelona Report + a Human Security Doctrine – which capabilities? Madrid Report – how to deploy capabilities? External relations, but internal dilemmas Post Lisbon Treaty – what role for HS? – In the Neighbourhood – To complement national security and defence – As a domestic policy? Greece, the Balkans?

A framework: 5 principles 1.Primacy of human rights – Which rights – positive and negative – how are they threatened? – Who should defend them ? – Rule of law, not rule of war/corruption – Focus on individual need not macro indicators

2. Legitimate political authority Aim is credible and trust-worthy institutions – make people feel safe Focus on creating space for life as usual Not necessarily re-creating the state Local and regional governance Accountability External assistance must also be scrutinised

3. Bottom-up approach Sustainable – outsiders can only help not deliver Requires local knowledge, representation participation and accountability mechanisms Real empowerment versus token capacity building Increased roles for women Attention to youth, minorities

4. Effective multilateralism Commitment to work with others Commitment to rules/norms Should build not erode legitimacy Synthesis and inter-operability versus duplication and rivalry End to ‘stove-pipe’ mentality

5. Regional focus Focus on wider connections of conflicts Existing dialogue emphasises ‘states’ How to engage the neighbourhood Not just as source of threat but also opportunity eg justice, economic initiatives

Policy implications Stability or sustainability? Rule of law level = empowerment Justice, inclusion a strong civil society - accountability Macro economic measures- GDP/currencies Plus....Issues of crime, jobs, micro credit

‘GOOD’ POLICIES Granular Leading to Organic Opportunity Dignity

The challenges of a human security approach addressing complexity – Grey areas – Coping mechanisms and survival strategies – heroic or harmful? – Presence of ambiguous and contradictory markers of human security – Radical shifts in perceptions – Dialogues to manage complexity? clashes between principles: - the need for trade-offs : eg human rights versus bottom up, universal norms vs particularist cultures -legitimating political authority : who decides? - Choices should be deliberative and transparent

The state and HS Complementary or competitive? The paradox of HS – challenges the state but also needs to collaborate with it Who should deliver HS? Can the state be co-opted ? Re-aligning priorities and powers

Other challenges Coping with messy outcomes – Undesirable and unintended consequences – No neat edges – systematic not systemic – Ownership of process and results – Balance between universal templates and local translation Technical assistance or political intervention? – HS is deeply political – Outcomes are important as well as process – How to avoid the ‘Twin Peaks’ – No added value – HS as a technology of governance/biopolitics

Lessons (not learned) from the Balkans experience Legitimacy → De jure AND de facto Legacy → integrated, sustainable programmes; including the private sector Coherence → Making multilateralism effective – stakeholder identification and engagement Agreement on objectives approaches narratives Timeframes → benchmarking evaluation, accountability Continuous assessment

HS Challenges in the region – Different levels and types of vulnerability – Managing the transition Question of capacity or will? – Legacy: Security services; arms – Crime and porous borders _________ ____ ____________ __________ __ __________ ____ ______ ___ ___ ______________ _____ ______ ____ ____ _______ _________ – Unemployment, and creating legitimate occupations – Reshaping the social safety net and the political contract – An inclusive society – The affective dimension – hope, optimism, managing expectations

Some ideas for thematic research A regional security sector reform programme along HS lines? Access to justice Involve and stimulate the private sector – HS can also apply to business What kind of civil society ? – Citizen networks – Dialogue and grass roots representation Exploiting new technologies – countering marginalisation

Doing HS – research methods Good research is research conducted with people rather than on people changing the perspective of the researcher to achieve a different ethical position a different kind of knowledge unleash social, political processes of change

Participatory Action Research (PAR) PR/PAR = attempts to address power imbalances + oppressive social structures – Between researcher and subject – Between outside observer and inside actor – Between priveleged and underpriveleged/powerful and powerless

Power of the researcher: – Select who has knowledge – Which type of knowledge to include – Ask questions – Interpret data Risks to communities?

PR -Values the researched community as a vital part of the research project and its members as experts of their experiences [ Grant, Nelson, Mitchell] ‘The role of PR is to enable people to empower themselves through the construction of their own knowledge in a process of action or reflection or conscientisation’ [Freire]

Doing research as though people matter What harms? Which humans? What’s wrong with surveys? Need to address power imbalances A dialogic approach – Open ended conversations – 2 level translation Multidirectional security markers