Videos


In this video, I discuss the problems of defining security, and the way that different organisations and interest groups try to define it in ways that suit their objectives. I go on to propose a straightforward and relatively limited definition of security, and then to look at the three levels at which it is provided, from security in against harm or loss in everyday life, through the control of territory, up to protection of national borders and interests.
In this video, I look at what happens when security is absent, distinguishing between security as a condition, and security as a set of organizations. I note that for almost all of human history, there were no security structures as they exist today, but that security, nonetheless, was still provided, as it is today in places where the state is absent or ineffective. I go on to talk about the destructive effects of liberalism on traditional security provision, and the consequences of the failure of replacement structures imported from the West.
In this video, I look at the problems of defining conflict, and then trying to explain why it happens. I look at a range of explanations, none of which is really satisfactory, and conclude that there is no « conflict, » but only conflicts. I look at the difference between conflicts that may have a solution, and zero-sum conflicts that do not, and why the difference is important. I suggest that, in practice, some conflicts may be unavoidable, and that ultimately we should try to learn, not from the causes of conflict but the causes of peace.

Individual Sections:

Governance and Reform of the Security Sector France and French Security Policy
The Rule of Law Security and Development
War Crimes and International Justice Other issues, including Africa and the Middle East