Abstract
In his talk about 'Human Security And The Quest For Peace In The Middle East' Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of the IAEA, first looked at the international security landscape and then focused on the Middle East as a case in point. According to a recent report on human security, there has been a sharp decline since the early 1990s in civil wars and other forms of armed conflict. The number of refugees has also gone down, and human rights abuses have decreased. These statistics indicate that the world is becoming more peaceful. Yet at the same time, the collective sense of insecurity is higher than at any time before, because the forces that drive insecurity remain persistent and pervasive. These drivers of insecurity fit into four categories: poverty (poverty-related insecurities, for the billions who lack access to reliable food supplies, safe drinking water, adequate health care, and modern energy supplies), the lack of good governance, the sense of injustice (resulting from the imbalance between the 'haves' and the 'have nots' and the artificial polarization along religious or ethnic lines. The modern age demands that we think in terms of human security - a concept of security that is people
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Citation Formats
ElBaradei, M.
Human security and the quest for peace in the Middle East, 24 October 2006, University of Maryland.
IAEA: N. p.,
2006.
Web.
ElBaradei, M.
Human security and the quest for peace in the Middle East, 24 October 2006, University of Maryland.
IAEA.
ElBaradei, M.
2006.
"Human security and the quest for peace in the Middle East, 24 October 2006, University of Maryland."
IAEA.
@misc{etde_20992976,
title = {Human security and the quest for peace in the Middle East, 24 October 2006, University of Maryland}
author = {ElBaradei, M}
abstractNote = {In his talk about 'Human Security And The Quest For Peace In The Middle East' Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of the IAEA, first looked at the international security landscape and then focused on the Middle East as a case in point. According to a recent report on human security, there has been a sharp decline since the early 1990s in civil wars and other forms of armed conflict. The number of refugees has also gone down, and human rights abuses have decreased. These statistics indicate that the world is becoming more peaceful. Yet at the same time, the collective sense of insecurity is higher than at any time before, because the forces that drive insecurity remain persistent and pervasive. These drivers of insecurity fit into four categories: poverty (poverty-related insecurities, for the billions who lack access to reliable food supplies, safe drinking water, adequate health care, and modern energy supplies), the lack of good governance, the sense of injustice (resulting from the imbalance between the 'haves' and the 'have nots' and the artificial polarization along religious or ethnic lines. The modern age demands that we think in terms of human security - a concept of security that is people centered and without borders. A concept that acknowledges the inherent linkages between economic and social development, respect for human rights, and peace. This is the basis on which we must 're-engineer' security. UN bodies have succeeded in setting norms and overseeing many important aspects of our life - such as labour relations, global health, civil aviation, food and agriculture, and trade. Despite these achievements, however the system often fails short in addressing threats to international peace and security. To understand the urgency of reforming our system for maintaining international peace and security, we must also look critically at situations where it has not been able to adequately fulfill its function. Three aspects in that regard are to be mentioned. (1) The Security Council has often been unable to intervene in a timely manner in humanitarian crisis, and in cases of gross violations of human rights. (2) We have allowed some conflicts to fester for decades, with devastating effects. (3) A number of the central tenets of international law have been challenged or undermined in recent years. For reform to be effective three things must occur: (1) We must view both the problems and their solutions through the lens of human security. The sovereign rights of the individual must take precedence over the sovereignty of the state. (2) Our security mechanism and institutions must be reformed. At the IAEA for example we have at times ignored the linkage between the nuclear non-proliferation and the nuclear disarmament. (3) We must commit to resolve longstanding conflicts, which brings us to the Middle East. . The Arab Israeli conflict, at its most basic level, comes down to two passionate peoples claiming the same piece of land. Only two countries - Egypt and Jordan - formally recognize and have peace agreements with Israel. If the recent history of the Middle East teaches us nothing else, it should teach us that these conflicts cannot be solved through military force. The resolution will not lie in reconstructing history and not in redressing all past injustice. The first key success will be to start from the end-point. The second key condition is steady commitment by all parties. In parallel with the dialogue on the peace process, there should be a dialogue open regional security. This discussion should cover the elimination of weapons of mass destruction, limitations on conventional weapons, and an array of confidence building measures. Another important condition is that all parties with a stake in the solution be engaged in a dialogue. Like any other aspect of cultural diversity, the Christian, Jewish and Moslem religions should be treated with mutual deference.}
place = {IAEA}
year = {2006}
month = {Oct}
}
title = {Human security and the quest for peace in the Middle East, 24 October 2006, University of Maryland}
author = {ElBaradei, M}
abstractNote = {In his talk about 'Human Security And The Quest For Peace In The Middle East' Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of the IAEA, first looked at the international security landscape and then focused on the Middle East as a case in point. According to a recent report on human security, there has been a sharp decline since the early 1990s in civil wars and other forms of armed conflict. The number of refugees has also gone down, and human rights abuses have decreased. These statistics indicate that the world is becoming more peaceful. Yet at the same time, the collective sense of insecurity is higher than at any time before, because the forces that drive insecurity remain persistent and pervasive. These drivers of insecurity fit into four categories: poverty (poverty-related insecurities, for the billions who lack access to reliable food supplies, safe drinking water, adequate health care, and modern energy supplies), the lack of good governance, the sense of injustice (resulting from the imbalance between the 'haves' and the 'have nots' and the artificial polarization along religious or ethnic lines. The modern age demands that we think in terms of human security - a concept of security that is people centered and without borders. A concept that acknowledges the inherent linkages between economic and social development, respect for human rights, and peace. This is the basis on which we must 're-engineer' security. UN bodies have succeeded in setting norms and overseeing many important aspects of our life - such as labour relations, global health, civil aviation, food and agriculture, and trade. Despite these achievements, however the system often fails short in addressing threats to international peace and security. To understand the urgency of reforming our system for maintaining international peace and security, we must also look critically at situations where it has not been able to adequately fulfill its function. Three aspects in that regard are to be mentioned. (1) The Security Council has often been unable to intervene in a timely manner in humanitarian crisis, and in cases of gross violations of human rights. (2) We have allowed some conflicts to fester for decades, with devastating effects. (3) A number of the central tenets of international law have been challenged or undermined in recent years. For reform to be effective three things must occur: (1) We must view both the problems and their solutions through the lens of human security. The sovereign rights of the individual must take precedence over the sovereignty of the state. (2) Our security mechanism and institutions must be reformed. At the IAEA for example we have at times ignored the linkage between the nuclear non-proliferation and the nuclear disarmament. (3) We must commit to resolve longstanding conflicts, which brings us to the Middle East. . The Arab Israeli conflict, at its most basic level, comes down to two passionate peoples claiming the same piece of land. Only two countries - Egypt and Jordan - formally recognize and have peace agreements with Israel. If the recent history of the Middle East teaches us nothing else, it should teach us that these conflicts cannot be solved through military force. The resolution will not lie in reconstructing history and not in redressing all past injustice. The first key success will be to start from the end-point. The second key condition is steady commitment by all parties. In parallel with the dialogue on the peace process, there should be a dialogue open regional security. This discussion should cover the elimination of weapons of mass destruction, limitations on conventional weapons, and an array of confidence building measures. Another important condition is that all parties with a stake in the solution be engaged in a dialogue. Like any other aspect of cultural diversity, the Christian, Jewish and Moslem religions should be treated with mutual deference.}
place = {IAEA}
year = {2006}
month = {Oct}
}