Assignment

NON-TRADITIONAL SECURITY ISSUES

Names: Raza Ullah & Shafaq Umm e Hani

Class: BBA 8TH Semester
Given By: Sir Hasan Ahmed
Course: International Relations & Current Affairs
NUML Karachi Campus.
The post-cold war era is considered the beginning of the new era of non-traditional/non-
conventional security threats. In the post-Cold War era, the term 'National Security' has
acquired broader connotations. In the 21st century, 'National Security' extends beyond relying
simply on hard power means. It includes non-traditional security challenges in order to ensure
comprehensive national security.

What are non-traditional security issues?

Non-traditional security (NTS) threats are the challenges to the survival and wellbeing of people
and states that arise primary out of non-military sources. After the advent of nuclear
technology, formation of nation states, development of international laws and expanding of
economic cooperation among states in 20th and 21th century, the direct military confrontation
took a back seat and new types of security challenges started to flourish that were named as
non-traditional security threats. Although, these security threats are non-military in nature,
they have potential to damage any country more than a military confrontation. Traditional
Security (NTS) comprises a gamut of human security concerns such as climate change,
infectious diseases, natural disasters, irregular migration, food shortages, smuggling of persons,
drug trafficking and other forms of transnational crime.”

 Non-traditional security goes beyond military action and focuses on the other kinds of
threats impacting human existence.
 It expands the notion of security as it speaks of the security of individuals, of people and
of humanity as a whole.
 It is often referred to as human security or global security from the dangers emanating
from the new sources or non-state actors.
 It identifies new kinds of threats like terrorism, poverty, human rights violation, human
epidemics and migration.
 The main strategy involved in countering the non-traditional security threats is
cooperation among the nation states rather than military action.
 In general, non-traditional security threats as those threats which are emanated by the
non-state actors.
 Non-traditional security threats have a transnational character extrapolated
apropos of their genesis, conceptions, and consequences.
 They are delineated in socio-economic and political terms.
 Non-traditional threats beget political and societal instability and eventually
become security threat.
 The effects of these threats are arduous to revert or repair.
 Non-traditional security threats require multilateral and regional cooperation due
to the inadequacy of national solutions.
 Non-traditional security threats are perilous for people (either individuals or
societies) and states (sovereignty and territory).
 Common Characteristics of Non-Traditional Security:
Non-traditional security focuses on non-military threats with these common characteristics:

 The threats are transnational in nature with regards to their origins and effects.
 They do not stem from competition between states or shifts in the balance of power,
but are often defined in political and socioeconomic terms.
 Non-traditional security issues such as resource scarcity and irregular migration cause
societal and political instability and therefore become threats to security.
 Other threats like climate change are often caused by human-induced disturbances to
the fragile balance of nature; they have dire consequences to both states and societies
which are often difficult to reverse or repair.
 National solutions are often inadequate; these threats require regional and multilateral
cooperation.
 The referent of security is no longer just the state (on issues of state sovereignty or
territorial integrity), but also the people (survival, well-being, dignity) both at individual
and societal levels.
Meetings of Multilateral and Multilateral groupings on NTS (2016-2021)

MEETINGS YEAR
13th Australian Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue meeting 2016
Asia-Europe Meeting: 11th Summit held in Mongolia 2016
5th Australia-Laos Human Rights Dialogue Meeting 2017
20th Anniversary of BIMSTEC marked several high-level meetings 2017-18
Annual Conference of the Consortium of non-traditional Security in Asia (NTS-Asia) 2019
16th ASEAN Regional Forum Inter-Sessional Meeting on Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime 2019
Informal Meeting of SAARC foreign ministers to combat cross border terrorism 2019
74th session of UNGA attended by high level meetings including Climate Action Summit, Leaders 2019
Dialogue on Strategic Response to Terrorist and Violent Extremist Narratives.
Conference on Sustaining Support for Rohingya Refugee Response. 2020
Tripartite meeting between Bangladesh, Myanmar and China 2020
Video conference meeting of SAARC leaders on combating COVID-19 2020
BIMSTEC Conference on Combating Drug Trafficking 2020
Glasgow Climate Change Conference (UNFCC COP-26) 2020
US-Israel-UAE trilateral meeting on security and climate issues 2020
Australia-France-India trilateral ministerial meeting 2021
Australia-Japan-India trilateral ministerial meeting 2021
21st IORA Council of Ministerial Meeting 2021
Water Crisis:
Water is the foundation of life and necessity for everyone. However, it is becoming an
increasingly scarce and degraded natural resource for millions of the world’s populations.
Adequate water, which is necessary for various uses for a rapidly growing population, is one of
the major challenges in recent years. It is a critical issue as the increase in food production to
meet the future population will have to be achieved with the same water resources. Growing
populations and climate change are added burdens to the global water crisis. More than 1.1
billion people have inadequate access to clean drinking water globally, and approximately 2.6
billion people lack basic sanitation facilities. Water stress is increasing rapidly especially in
developing nations of the world. According to the United Nations, global water use over the last
century has been growing at twice the rate of population increase. As a result, approximately
1.2 billion people live in areas of physical water scarcity, where supply of water is not enough to
meet the demand. Apart from physical scarcity, economic scarcity is another major issue for
water insecurity. As of now, about 1.6 billion people face economic water scarcity, where
people do not have enough financial means to access existing water sources. Lack of safe water
access is gradually becoming a crisis for millions of people around the world that is responsible
for poor health, destruction of livelihoods, and unnecessary suffering for the poor.
Water shortages are the most pressing challenge for socioeconomic and human development in
general. Water shortages can lead to ecosystem degradation, worsening health and destruction
of livelihood. Increasing human pressure threatens the ability to provide adequate water
resources and functioning of ecosystem services in the arid and semiarid regions and are
particularly vulnerable to climate and land changes. As the human population grows and
economic activity grows, water degradation has become a global concern. Poor water quality,
which makes water unfit for use, has multiple health and environmental consequences, and
further reduces water availability. Contamination of the surface and groundwater is becoming
one of the biggest threats to the available fresh water.
Today, more than half of the global population reside in urban areas. With change in
demography characterized by massive migration into cities, it is projected to further increase in
percentage of urban population. Urban water supply systems for various applications as well as
wastewater management for the increasing population is a serious threat, especially in
developing countries. These cities have not been able to provide minimum water services to
their growing population. Considering the urbanization pattern, it is urgent to improve water
supply and wastewater treatment systems. These components should be seriously incorporated
into urban planning.
Increase in water-related disasters is another important issue in the context of global change.
The number of deaths and economic damage caused by water-related disasters such as floods,
droughts, landslides, and land subsidence has increased dramatically. Climate change and
variability, land use changes, urbanization, migration patterns, energy problems, and food
production caused by demographic change and economic development can exacerbate more
uncertain risks.
Flooding is one of the most damaging natural disasters in the world. Floods are often seen as a
natural phenomenon due to extreme weather events. However, in practice, human activity
changes the environment in multiple ways, changes the water cycle, and hence more flooding.
Therefore, flood risk and flood risk management are closely related to human activities. The
impact of land-use change includes not only urbanization, but also the development and
consolidation of agriculture. Land-use policy has been a key factor in permitting urban
developments in areas of risk. Flood risk results from extreme events, changes in the natural
environment, and poor disaster management institutions which have the ability to reduce and
manage risks.
Similarly, drought has multiple physical and social aspects. Lack of precipitation alters water
resources and agriculture systems, and the impact can be severe, depending on the resilience
of local communities and populations. Tensions between competing water use further worsen
due to conflict between human use and environmental flow requirements. Drought can
constrain the multiple societal uses of water, including energy production, at local and regional
levels. Many people rely on groundwater for drinking water, food security, and sustainable
living. Groundwater use has increased significantly over the past 50 years due to its better
quality and easy availability even during droughts.
These challenges require further research, implementation of new science-based
methodologies, and endorsement of principles of integrated water resources management
which can sustainably address various water-related issues. It is important to understand and
manage water quantity and quality worldwide, and especially in the developing world.
Overcoming the water crisis remains one of the most critical challenges our generation is facing
and developing clean potable water, managing wastewater efficiently and providing basic
sanitation facilities for sustainability and human progress. The United Nations (UN) Sustainable
Development Goals 2030 will not be possible without achieving a water secure world first.
While resource allocation and competition requirements are to represent the first set of water
security challenges, the second major focus for water security is on extreme events. It is very
important to design a wide range of sustainable solutions, which addresses various water
problems. With increased concerns on the sustainable use of limited water resources, in recent
years, policy makers, organizations, funding agencies, and individuals largely use the ‘water
security’ term to express their opinions for solving various water-related problems. However,
there is no consensus on framing of water security concepts for solving water problems in a
sustainable manner. Water security employing different disciplines is proposed as a starting
point for solving various water related problems.
Energy Crisis:
Today’s modern life is critically dependent on and revolves around different forms of energy,
which is a prerequisite for economic development and to sustain an improved lifestyle. The
quest of developing countries to industrialize, and developed countries to sustain their
development, has led to increase in energy demand putting pressure on the available
resources. This has led to finding ways and means to curb an unsustainable use of available
energy resources.
Although, energy security is an old discourse, it is now becoming more intense, complicated
and urgent due to depleting resources. The situation has been exacerbated in present times
coupled with the phenomena of climate change where use of some energy forms is harmful to
the environment. AGECC (2010, p.) defines energy security as: “Access to clean, reliable and
affordable energy services for cooking and heating, lighting, communications and productive
uses while respecting the environmental concerns”. International Energy Association defines
energy security as: “uninterrupted availability of energy resources at affordable prices”.
In this time of global market uncertainty one thing, we do know is that the world needs energy
-- and in increasing quantities -- to support economic and social progress and build a better
quality of life, in particular in developing countries. But providing this energy around the globe
comes with a responsibility and commitment to developing and using our resources responsibly.
We are committed to protecting both people and the environment and making positive
economic contributions.
For developed nations such as Canada, reliable and affordable energy enables the products and
services that enrich and extend life. Energy powers computers, transportation, communications,
cutting edge medical equipment and much more.
For developing nations, the need for reliable and affordable energy is more fundamental. It can
improve and even save lives. In these countries, reliable energy supports expanded industry,
modern agriculture, increased trade and improved transportation. These are the building blocks
that help people escape poverty and create better lives.
We are in the midst of an unprecedented global energy crisis. The seemingly unlimited
availability of fossil fuels has come to an end, and without them, renewable energies (plus
nuclear energy) will not be sufficient to fulfill our current energy demands. Hence, the energy
transition4 is an imperative, not only from a climate perspective, but also from a systemic and
economic perspective, given that our current economic system is underpinned by the idea of
infinite growth based on intensive energy consumption. If we are unable to maintain (and
increase) our capacity to generate energy, our current global systems are threatened with
collapse. Therein lies the real interest of the economic and financial powers in the “green”
transition, and to which we must also look for the root cause of the ever-increasing scarcity and
price of energy, no matter how much the pandemic, logistical problems, increase in digital
demand, just-in-time production and other contextual factors are used to justify a problem that
is, in fact, structural.
Globally, the “main cause of energy crisis” directly refers to the natural problem of scarce
resources. As the whole world has scarce natural resources that are depleting with every tick of
clock, the chance of converting natural assets into electrical energy is decreasing day by day.
Many countries are producing energy, solely, by burning coal. Some other countries are
managing their electric needs mainly by nuclear production. Others do handle it by burning coal
or natural gases. Some countries like India are utilizing water to produce energy. The question
is for how long these resources would be available to accomplish the escalating energy needs of
human beings. So, simply we can say that our planet is relying on coal, natural gas, water, fossil
fuels and petroleum to extract energy. We have depleted about 80% of our oil resources.
Moreover, we have used about more than 50% of our oil resources till now and if we continue
to use the oil resources at same rate then we would probably run out of oil resources in about
32 years. The whole world is trying to extract maximum oil and are enthusiastic to find more
preservatives to fulfill the ever-increasing demands but a study by M. King Hubbert gave a
concept of “peak oil”. According to him, a time would come when the whole world would
reach at maximum rate of extraction called “the peak” after which it will start to decline with
time.
Alternative or renewable energy resources are gaining more and more importance in the
debate on energy sustainability and security, especially in the context of climate change.
Developed countries are focusing on renewable energy resources; however, developing
countries and specifically emerging economies are spearheading huge investments in exploring
and installing renewable energy options, e.g., China in solar and wind energy.

Causes of Energy Crisis:

 Poor Distribution Infrastructure
 Power Theft and Under Recovery Bills
 Lack of Technical Staff in Decision Making
 Reliance On Non-Renewable Energy Sources
 Ever Increasing Energy Demands
 Low Rate of Hydro-Power Production
 Fuel Shortage
 Poor Policy Making
 Return On Investment; the Circular Debt
 Generating Less than Capacity
 Impact of Instabilities in legislation
 Lack of Funds
 Inadequate Utilization of Nuclear Energy
 Lack of Proactive and Integrated Planning for Production of Energy
Environmental Issues:
The quality of the environment is a foundation for any country’s long-term development. The
country’s economy is improving with the passage of time, but environmental issues must be
addressed. The standard of living and the quality of life still need a lot of improvement. Water
pollution, soil erosion, land degradation, water scarcity, global warming, air pollution, and
natural disasters are just a few of the climatic and environmental concerns that countries face.

 Climate Change
Climate change is among the most serious security threat faced by Pakistan that has potential
to completely collapse the country. Pakistan is the 7th most vulnerable country to climate
change, although, it stands at 135 among the countries contributing to the global carbon
emission. As with the changing climate in South Asia as a whole, the climate of Pakistan has
changed over the past several decades, with significant impacts on the environment and
people. In addition to increased heat, drought and extreme weather in parts of the country, the
melting of glaciers in the Himalayas has impacted some of the important rivers of Pakistan.
Anatol Lieven writes in his book, “Pakistan A Hard Country” “what is certainly true is that if
floods and other ecological disasters on this scale (flood of 2010 in Pakistan) become regular
events as a result of climate change, then Pakistan will be destroyed as a state and an organized
society.”

 Deforestation
Deforestation refers to the loss of forest areas that occurs when humans cut down trees to
obtain wood and fuel but do not replant them. Urbanization, growing population, and rapid
expansion of cities are also among the leading causes of deforestation in Pakistan. Apart from
destroying the natural beauty of the land, cutting down forests also has a huge impact on the
ecosystem as it affects countless wildlife habitats. Unfortunately, with more and more rural
areas converting into urban centers, Pakistan has a high deforestation rate. Moreover, due to
lack of resources and poverty, many rely on timber from trees to keep them warm during the
winter months or build homes.

 Air Pollution
Air pollution can be defined as the presence of toxic solid and liquid particles in the air along
with certain gases that are harmful to the environment. This type of pollution is mainly caused
by the burning of fossil fuels for transportation and the production of electricity. The black
smoke that you see coming out of vehicles on the road and out of factories in the industrial
areas are all leading causes of air pollution in Pakistan. Lack of rainfall and low wind speed have
also exacerbated the issue in some parts of the country.

 Water Pollution
Water pollution is caused when toxic substances such as chemicals, waste, and certain
microorganisms contaminate a body of water, rendering it harmful for human use or
consumption. Drinking from polluted streams, rivers, lakes, and ponds, or using its water to
bathe or cook, can be extremely harmful to one’s health.
The reasons behind water pollution could be a poor sewage system, throwing chemical wastage
from factories into the ocean, and an increase in litter, especially plastic. Given that Pakistan is
an agricultural country with an arid climate, water pollution is also harming our crops and land.
This is also one of the main reasons why a large chunk of the population does not have access
to clean drinking water. To sum it up, water pollution in Pakistan is considered a huge risk to
human health.

 Land Pollution
Like most developing countries, land pollution is a serious environmental issue in Pakistan.
Annually, the country generates approximately 48.5 million tons of solid waste with a 2%
increase each year. Since we don’t have a proper waste disposal system, most of it is either
burned, which causes air pollution or buried on vacant land, causing soil erosion. Moreover, the
rest of the waste is just dumped on empty lots, damaging the environment and leading to land
pollution. Urbanization and the use of harmful chemicals and pesticides are also some of the
major causes of land pollution in Pakistan.

 Population growth rate

The most daunting threat for Pakistan is the unchecked population growth rate. In 1951,
Pakistan’s population was around 34 million. It increased to approximately 131 million in 1998
census. Today, it has risen to a staggering 208 million with an anticipated projection of 400m by
2040. With the dwindling resources, the unchecked population growth will become our biggest
enemy and thwart progress. Hence, it is not wrong to say that the population growth rate acts
as an impediment to the well-being of the people.

 Global Warming
Before we discuss global warming in Pakistan, let’s first establish that the terms global warming
and climate change are not interchangeable. However, it’s a common mistake that most people
make.
To further clarify, global warming refers to the long-term warming of the planet due to
pollution, whereas climate change is a broad phenomenon referring to abnormal variations to
the Earth’s climate. To put it simply, one can say that global warming is a symptom of climate
change.
Now, unfortunately, Pakistan is one of the biggest victims of global warming in the world. The
heatwaves and cold snaps that we have been suffering for the past several years are all due to
increased global warming. The main reason behind this is the emission of fossil fuels. However,
it is definitely not the only culprit.

 Rain
Torrential rains have caused massive damages to people, their livestock and to the standing
crops across the country. As per the official data, 33 million people have been affected by these
unprecedented rains. According to the National Disaster Management Authority, about 1
million houses have collapsed, 10 million people are homeless, the death toll has reached
above 1500. Many diseases and epidemics have broken out in flood-hit areas. Due to
unavailability of clean drinking water, many children are suffering from cholera. Disaster has
badly affected the masses. Thousands of hectares of agricultural land have been submerged in
water, causing huge damage to the standing crops. The catastrophe is much bigger than our
resources.

 Poor Economic status of Pakistan:

Pakistan’s poor economic position is the most immediate and pressing threat to the survival of
the country. At present, the country does not have enough money collected from taxes to fulfill
its expenditure. As a result, it is pushed to take loans every year from the international donors
to fulfill its expenditure. All efforts to put the economy in the right direction have reduced to
the ashes. The foreign debt and debt servicing are kept accumulating.  So far, the total external
debt and liabilities have reached around $ 106.8 billion, according to the State Bank of Pakistan.
The total debt servicing of Pakistan, as mentioned in recently concluded federal budget for
2021, stands at Rs 2946 billion. These both figures are increasing at an alarming pace every year
and all the efforts of economist have failed to keep them in strict check. Thus, a time is not far
away, if the present economic position of the country prevails, when Pakistan will be declared
bankrupt once its foreign debt reaches half its total GDP. Hence, the poor economic status of
Pakistan will contribute to its economic collapse in future. Thus, the weak economic position of
Pakistan can be listed as a serious non-traditional security threat faced by Pakistan.

 Natural Disaster
Due to Pakistan's diverse land and climatic conditions, it is prone to different forms of natural
disasters, including earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, droughts, cyclones and hurricanes. A disaster
management report claims that the provinces of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), Baluchistan and AJK are
vulnerable seismic regions and hence highly susceptible to earthquakes, while Sindh and Punjab
constantly suffer from floods because they are low-lying areas.
Some of the worst natural disasters that Pakistan has faced include the 1935 Quetta earthquake
when around 60,000 people were killed, the 1950 floods when an estimated 2900 people died
and 900,000 people were left homeless, the 1974 Hunza earthquake where around 5300
people were killed, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake that killed at least 73,000 and affected more
than 1.5 million people, and the 2010 floods, where 20 million people were affected.
Pakistan is currently confronting the natural disaster of flood and its aftermath in the near
future. Pakistan is in the top 10 countries most vulnerable to climate change according to the
UN Environment report. The current floods are exacerbated by climate change and global
warming. The people are in devastated condition, with millions displaced and thousands of
dead. The estimated loss to the economy is over $20 billion. There are a number of challenges
which are non-traditional in nature but can lead to hard traditional threats, from porous
borders to water security.

 Drug Trafficking
By USSR's invasion in Afghanistan (1979) many refugees came to Pakistan. The refugee people
who were engaged in Drug business in Afghanistan trained local farmers to make heroin from
poppy by indigenous laboratories which they brought with them. This technique attracted
farmers as demand of heroin was much higher than any other drug.
After 1979 drug trafficking rapidly increased. Smugglers used to take the route from Pakistan to
Iran, Turkey then Italy to American coasts. According to a report on drugs (2008), total drug
users were 6,28000 out of which 50,0000 were of heroin addicts. While as per up-to-date
report, 4 million people are addicted to heroin in Pakistan.
Drug traffickers are running parallel economy and they are investing in real estate as well as in
politics to legitimize their money. Drug trafficking is also reason to Crime and prostitution. The
proximity of age limit of addicts is between 26 to 30 in Pakistan.

 Youth bulge and unemployment:

Another major non-traditional security threats are youth bulge and unemployment in Pakistan.
Normally, the higher population of youth is perceived as a window of opportunity for speeding
up economic development. However, in Pakistan, the same population can cause social and
political instability. A youth bulge is dividend if an economy has potential to absorb its capacity.
It becomes liabilities if an economic growth rate is sluggish and employment opportunities are
limited. In the case of Pakistan where GDP growth rate has reached in negative figure and
unemployment is at peak, the youth bulge will contribute to chaos and instability in the country
and finally led it to anarchy. Around 3 million unemployed youth are entering in the market
every year and Pakistan needs at least 9 per cent GDP growth rate to adjust the unemployed
youth, which is nearly impossible. Hence, the experts consider the youth bulge and
unemployment among the serious threats encountered by the country.

 Cyber-Attacks:
Pakistan has developed enough physical security to protect its nuclear weapons, but it is the
most vulnerable to cyber-attacks, which are declared as new types of warfare. Pakistan’s banks
were already attacked in 2018 when hackers stole around Rs 2.6 million via Debit card of Bank
Islamic. Pakistan’s sensitive and confidential governmental records are at the risk of being
stolen by cyber-attacks that could cause a major damage. Thus, it is imperative for the
administration to adopt protective measures to counter the cyber-attacks.

 Industrial Waste
Some of the country’s richest soils and water resources are being contaminated by industrial
effluents of harmful and pervasive pollutants. Solid waste placed on low-lying terrain or
burned contaminates groundwater and produces dust and carcinogenic chemicals, all of which
are particularly hazardous to human health. Some of the contaminants released end up
contaminating valuable natural resources including rivers, fresh groundwater, and prime
agricultural land. Heavy metals and persistent pollutants leak into groundwater sources from
industrial dumping sites.
Untreated municipal sewage is also contaminating freshwater sources for downstream users.
Poor sanitation facilities, as well as a limitation of sustainable access to safe drinking water, are
contributing causes to the country’s high occurrence of diseases. Along with domestic,
commerce, and institutional trash, the waste paper, plastic, metal, glass, rubber, and rags are
strewn on the streets. Because transportation and main collection are not adequately
coordinated, waste is handled in an ineffective method.

 Human Trafficking
Pakistan is a destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor,
particularly from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Traffickers exploit women and girls—
and, to a lesser extent, boys—from Afghanistan, Iran, and other Asian countries in sex
trafficking in Pakistan. LGBTQI+ individuals face violence and discrimination, as the law
criminalizes same-sex conduct, which increases their risk of trafficking. Refugees and stateless
persons from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Burma, as well as religious and ethnic minorities
such as Christians, Hindu Dalits, and Hazaras, are particularly vulnerable to traffickers in
Pakistan.

 Food Security
Food security, Pakistan will face a severe food crisis if it doesn’t take some proactive measures
and timely response. Pakistan produces quality fruits and the country export to the middle east
and Europe. Quality mangos and various rice are no more produced in Pakistan. According to
Reuters, it is expected that mango production witnessed a decline of 50% this year due to the
unavailability of water. The same is the case for rice production. Pakistani rice exports
witnessed a 48% decline.
Once surplus in sugar, Pakistan is now importing it. The country’s sugar and sugar confectionery
imports were the US $242.88 million in 2021. According to the research conducted by the UN
Food and Agriculture Organization in 2020, estimates that 20%–30% population in Pakistan is
already suffering from food insecurity. Economic experts believe that the number can increase
in the coming years.
The agriculture sector has been essential for domestic food accessibility and self-reliance.
However, there is still room for more food accessibility, which has not been achieved yet in
Pakistan, mostly for financial and social reasons. There are no standardized rules to measure
food insecurity in the country. The food security targets are not made part of the 11th Five Year
Plan 2013-18; however, it only includes an objective statement about reducing food insecurity.
Likewise, Vision 2025 also did not include any suitable benchmark for food security.

COVID-19 and its devastating consequences, both in terms of loss of lives and economic
recession, have brought the attention of the policymakers on the rising non-traditional security
threats posed to the entire world. While the focus on traditional military threats to the physical
security of the country and its people is important, the interconnected and interdependent
nature of the world today demands equal attention towards non-traditional security threats.
One critical aspect of non-traditional security is threats posed to societies by natural and man-
made disasters.