Human security: Conflict and Displacement and Peace building in the Asia Pacific

Human security: Conflict and Displacement and Peace building in the Asia Pacific

Part A

Human security is the prime concern of the war on terror of the Bush Administration. Its key objective is to safeguard the vital core of all human lives from critical all-encompassing threats in a way that is consistent with long-term human accomplishment. Threats to human lives are often beyond human control, which involves violent conflicts, financial crises, a national policy that damages public and private investments in health care, a terrorist attack, water shortages, chronic destitution, or pollution in a distant land, and even AIDS.

However, there are also some threats that are far destructive especially those that come as a surprise but can be minimize if counter measures are put in place in advance. The death and damages of an earthquake can be reduced by producing buildings that earthquake resistant. But in the event that there are great damages caused by forces of nature such as violent earthquake, tsunami, or cyclone resulting to the loss of many lives, it opens the opportunity for a much closer bilateral relations among neighboring countries paving the way for peace building among those that are concerned. Rizal Sukma stated that the tsunami that hit the Indonesian province of Aceh, which left more than 200,000 people dead and over 500,000 displaced has, in their domestic context, served as major channel for the renewal of the peace process which facilitated for the resolution of the three decade long separatist conflict (p.213). Even in the international level, the tsunami disaster brings closer ties between Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, which the two countries quickly display, empathy and care for Indonesia in times of severe crises.

However, Ramesh Thakur noted the advantages of conceptualizing security within the inclusive framework of human security (p. 1). Environmental security is also an important issue in addressing human security. Most of the disasters that befell on human societies are man made rather than natural calamities. The disaster that hit Indonesia leaving hundreds of thousands of people dead and hundreds of thousands more displaced may be a natural disaster, but flooding, soil erosions caused by deforestations, trans boundary pollution that is causing global warming creating climate change resulting to irregular whether conditions, and environmental ruin have clear human security implications too.

Climatologist and other experts on climate warn that flooding is expected to increase in frequency if pollution level will not be significantly reduced. Climate researchers contend that the rising temperatures of the last century have caused an increase in storm intensity. In their view, global warming is increasingly warming and moistens the atmosphere, which can lead to more frequent floods. Obligatory policies therefore to reduce global warming pollution are needed desperately to prevent disasters resulting from excessive flooding in the future.

Pollution however, does not only pose serious threat on environmental security by means of frequent flooding as a result of global warming, it also causes serious water pollution. While pure, unpolluted water is essential to the global ecosystem, there are areas of the world where rivers and seas have become polluted. Health experts and researchers have identified the origination of some serious disease from contaminated and polluted waters. Water pollution destroys the health of plants and animals as well as the fishing industry thereby affecting the economies of people subsisting on fishing.

Deforestation is also a serious threat on environmental security that has grave consequences on human lives and properties. It is quite unfortunate that in most developing countries deforestation has always been a practice to address the economic needs. But the more unfortunate is, often, deforestation is caused by bad agricultural practices, greed, and neglect of government.  Converting forests to agricultural or industrial and residential areas may bring some economic benefits, but its consequences far out weight all the potential benefit.

While it is important to addressed human security issues such as terrorism, armed conflict as a result of war, and other forms of violence threatening the human physical existence, all these can be avoided by implementing necessary measures in advance either to prevent them to happen, or to minimize its impact. The human security is being threatened by equally disastrous environmental threats. While governments have exhausted all efforts necessary to ensure human security against terrorism, authorities must also exhaust all its resources to prevent even greater disaster caused by the neglect of environmental security. Since the issue of environmental security is common concerns of every nation, governments of nations around the world must join hands in addressing the environmental issues and problems. Peace building efforts on this area is done by environmental activists and other non-governmental organization concerned on forest preservations.

Part B

            At first glance, the major issue in the given context is the unpaid compensation for environmental damages including the destruction of rivers and the mass displacement of people. However, digging further into analysis of the text, it reveals that more serious issues confront the circumstance behind the low intensity guerrilla campaign against a large-scale mining operation. It appears that that the main issues were economic, the islanders’ call for independence, and the issue of tyranny of the national government against the inhabitants of the island.

There are several indications that the guerrilla campaign was merely intended to harass the people to gain economic control of the island, and to suppress the looming movement for independence. First, the mine was sabotaged and subsequently closed, second, the national government sent police squads to conduct a campaign of terror. The destruction of the main airport and the isolation of the island, as well as the sending of the national defense force indicate that the national government is determined to impose its will.  They were to harass the mining operation to force the people perhaps not only to pay for necessary taxis, but also to eventually sequester the mining firm, and established firm control, but when the attempt to take over has failed, they sabotaged and closed the mining.

            The other big issue that had made drastic actions on the part of the national government was the people’s call for independence. The national government’s immediate action was to conduct terrorism activities, burning villages and attacking civilians. Obviously, this action to will be viewed by the people of the island as tyranny. The burning of their villages and the attacks on innocent civilians perhaps mostly composed of women, children, and elderly people are by no means tyrannical atrocities, as killings and rape perpetrated by the government forces are part of their mission.

How can they be resolved, based on the perspectives of those affected by the conflict, and those assisting in peace building?

            The economic issue pertaining to the mining can be resolved if the management of the mining firm will comply with the demands of the national government. Of course this perspective is narrow compare to the true intentions behind the national government actions. Those affected by the conflict will simply seek relief from the idea that yielding to the demands will solve the conflict, as the national government capitalized on financial issue as justification for harassing the company. Those affected by the conflict and even those who are assisting in peace building may not know exactly what are the true problems and the causes of turmoil that they are facing. However, if they have idea of the real political condition, they would probably insist to just lay down arms and renegotiate with the national government to come up with a peaceful win-win solution for both sides, to the problem, in view of the difficulties their children, women, and elderly people are facing, and in view of the number of casualties and fatalities caused by unsettled political problems. At this time, the situation was very uncertain for the people of the island and there is only little if there is at all, any possibility of achieving their goals for their resistance of the national government and to gain their freedom. The situation they are facing is almost an exercise of futility.

            However, for those who are more idealistic and those who really long for independence, there is no real solution to the problem except they are granted their own independence. For them, the only solution is autonomy and let them run their affairs as an independent community of people. On the other hand, those who are assisting in the peace building may not dare to encourage freedom fighters to continue their struggles. They would rather perhaps suggest going back to drawing table for renegotiation and come with a more peaceful solution without shedding of blood. They would perhaps suggest exploring the concept of autonomy how it could work on both sides with out further violence and armed struggles. Those who are assisting in peace building may mediate temporarily to call for renegotiation treaty.

Bibliography

Sukma, R. (2006) Indonesia and the tsunami: ‘Responses and Foreign Policy’ Implications. Journal of Institute of affairs Vol. 60, pp. 213-228

Thakur, R. ‘Human Security: Incoherent Concept or Policy Template’