3. Securitization and Desecuritization

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On Security, by Ronnie D. Lipschutz3. Securitization and DesecuritizationOle W verDuring the mid-1980s, observers frequently noticed that the concept of security had been subjected tolittle reflection in comparison with how much and how strongly it had been used. Only a few years later,conceptual reflections on the concept of security have become so common that it is almost embarrassingto, once again, discuss or re-conceptualize security . Nonetheless, in this chapter I present one possibleperspective on security, and assess its implications in terms of four different security agendas. Myprimary aim here is not to provide a detailed discussion of this new approach--a more detailed expositioncan be found elsewhere1--but to illustrate the contrast between this perspective and more traditionalapproaches, which I intend to bring out via conceptual discussion and by addressing selected "securitydebates.

threat or fear), and second the more security, the better; and 2) to argue why security should encompass more€ than is currently the case, including not only "xx" but also "yy," where the latter is environment, welfare, immigration and refugees, etc. With this approach, one accepts the core meaning of "security" as

  Threats