The notion of "human security": its virtues and dangers

Abstract

The concept of human security has been the focus of an ample debate since the UNPD adopted it in its 1994 ‘‘Human Development Report’’. Some authors have pointed out its advantages as an alternative to more traditional concepts of security, while the critics of the concept insist on its ambiguity and the possibility to abuse it in order to justify even violent actions, in the framework of political realism. The present article considers the pros and cons of the concept and ends up by defending it, with some reservations, as a useful tool, not only to build alliances for political actions, but also for criticising actual security policies and for proposing more adequate ones.