An Introduction to Non-Traditional Security Studies: A Transnational Approach

Hegemonic Distortions: The Securitisation of the Insurgency in Thailand's Deep South

“…For the corresponding length of time prior to the end of the Cold War, only 14 hits for ‘non-traditional security’ were returned, compared to 658 for ‘traditional security’, a mere fraction. Caballero-Anthony (2016), one of the foremost experts on NTS in Southeast Asia, attributes the spread of the agenda to an epistemic community of scholars from various think tanks and research institutes in the region (see also Zimmerman 2016).…”

“…Asian states can thus be seen as a “vestigial modernist remnant in a postmodern flat world”, with priorities still focused upon interstate competition (Chang 2016: 138). However, even as the Asian states reacted to these ‘new’, NTS threats, the development of the NTS concept itself “owes much to the postcolonial approach and security thinking from the Third World” in a paradoxical and reflexive manner as well, since these so-called ‘non-traditional’ threats were already “representative of the kind of contemporary challenges that seriously affect people's security in the developing world” (Caballero-Anthony 2016: 5).…”

The Role and Logic of Nontraditional Security in China’s Engagement in Global Governance Mechanisms under Xi Jinping’s Regime

“…Yu Xiaofeng and Wang Jiangli ( [39], p. 57) asserted that NTS concerns nonmilitary security issues, marking the "transformation from sovereignty threats into survival threats" and the "transformation from military security and political security to all areas related to national security, human security and social security." Moreover, Mely Caballero-Anthony ( [7], p. 6) concluded that the recognition of NTS issues shifts the focus of security away from state-centrism and traditional military and territorial security. Shi Bin ( [31], p. 97) believes that since the 1990s, with the expansion of nonmilitary threats, the understanding of security has moved from being state-centric to being people-and world-centric.…”

“…It is not only the internal need to achieve sustainable development but also the due responsibility to promote the development of the community with a shared future for mankind." 7 At the same time, Chinese leaders also actively related environmental issues and international cooperation. On January 18, 2017, in Xi's speech at the UN Headquarters on "jointly building a community of a shared future for mankind," he asserted, "against the background of the continuous spread of nontraditional security threats such as terrorism, the refugee crisis, infectious diseases, and climate change, it is necessary to strengthen international cooperation and build a community of common destiny" [12].…”

“…"China and the US Jointly Addressing Climate Change," People's Daily Online, January 17, 2014. Available online, http://opinion.people.com.cn/n/2014/0217/c1003-24376678.html (accessed July 5, 2020) 7. "China's Policies and Actions for Addressing Climate Change 2019," Ministry of Ecological Environment of People's Republic of China, p. 1.…”