India’s Non-Traditional Security Concerns

Non-Traditional Introduction T HE CONCEPT OF NATIONAL SECURITY has evolved since the end of the Cold War and the rise of globalisation. Although the concept of national security is often invoked by national leaders across the globe, the definition of national security is seriously debated by various scholars, national leaders and members of civil society. Consequently, the concept of national security is no longer strictly confined to traditional state centric security concerns predominantly focused on external threats but now embraces alternative approaches that aim to address fundamental challenges to human security in a given state. Shifting global realities have given rise to what is currently defined as ‘Non-Traditional Security’, such a term aims to encompass various threats that obstruct the security and livelihoods of citizens.While citizens and governments alike face a myriad of challenges to ensure national security, Non-Traditional Security enables participants to view national security beyond conflict and war. Instead, as Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony, secretary general of the recently established Consortium on Non-Traditional Security Studies in Asia stated “These newly emerging threats are referred to as non-traditional security (NTS) threats, and they are defined as challenges to the survival and wellbeing of peoples and states that arise primarily out of non-military sources”