ISBN: 978-1-4422-7525-6 (hardcover) / 978-1-7526-3 (paperback) / 978-1-7527-0 (e-book)
Gunhild Hoogensen Gjørv
UiT The Arctic University of Norway
This is a compact yet
comprehensive overview of debates regarding the security concept. Neack
approaches the topic in a conversational fashion, anticipating possible
questions from readers along the way, including – How do we measure security? Or,
What should be secure and why? These questions address values which are thought
to be objects for security, as well as possible threats to them. Overall, Neack’s
approach in tackling concepts and theory within a broader discussion of current
events makes the text readily accessible and easy to read. The author locates
security in ‘real world‘ problems, not least challenges brought on by
migration, which serves as an excellent example of an issue that crosses
national, international, and human security discourses. At the same time
however, the book is primarily about national security. Neack focuses on
various aspects of state-based security, as perspective that continues to
dominate today. However, her emphasis on using the state as a type of ‘ground
zero‘ for discussing security is problematic, as it disguises the complex
history of the security concept. Indeed, security has had as much to do with
the individual and community as it has had to do with the state. Claiming that
any discussion of security must begin
with the state, perpetuates rather than questions and challenges the development
of the concept. The heavy state-based focus is clear also in the last chapter
on human security, where the author chooses to focus on ‘freedom from fear‘
issues reflecting state-centric concerns, policy, and practices. This book is
thus useful mainly for those wishing to understand various security
perspectives from within a state-based framework.