Includes bibliographical references (pages 244-262) and index.

Rationale and Political Usage -- Definitions, Critiques and Counter-Critiques -- A Paradigm Shift in Security Studies? -- Human Security and Human Development: Shadow or Threshold? -- Debating Dignity: Human Security and Human Rights -- Underdevelopment and Conflict: A Vicious Cycle? -- The State and its Domestic Responsibilities -- Intervention, Engagement and the Responsibilities of the International Community -- Externalities of Human Security: The Role of International Aid -- Concluding Thoughts: Whither Human Security?

"This book traces the key evolutions in the development of the concept of human security, the various definitions and critiques, how it relates to other concepts, and what it implies for politics, politics, and policy. Besides charting the territory and structuring the debate on a concept that is rapidly gaining importance in international policy making circles, it responds to an intellectual need. In a globalizing world, in which threats become trans-national and states lose power, security can no longer be studied in a one-dimensional fashion. Instead, it must be conceptualized from an interdisciplinary point of view, taking into account a variety of variables as well as their interactions. This book contributes to this new multidimensional conception of security, showing its strengths and weaknesses, and its implications for analysis and action. Case studies from different regions (Afghanistan, Central Asia and South Asia) are presented throughout."--Jacket.