Seeking Security in an Insecure World

by Dan Caldwell Pepperdine University, Robert E. Williams Jr. Pepperdine University

Overview

This revised edition of Seeking Security in an Insecure World provides a thorough, accessible introduction to contemporary security studies.

All chapters are updated and a wide range of new topics are discussed, including the Syrian civil war, Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its intervention in East Ukraine, the global refugee crisis, China’s military buildup, the impact of fracking on oil and gas markets, and rapidly evolving cyberwar capabilities. Each chapter also addresses what has been and can be done to enhance security. Overall, Seeking Security in an Insecure World offers a clear and compelling framework for understanding what security means today and how it can best be achieved.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442252134
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	02/24/2016
Edition description:	Third Edition
Pages:	340
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Dan Caldwell is distinguished professor of Political Science at Pepperdine University.

Robert E. Williams, Jr. is professor of Political Science at Pepperdine University.

Table of Contents

Preface
Chapter 1: The Meaning of Security Today
I: Traditional Sources of Insecurity
Chapter 2: Conventional Weapons and War
Chapter 3:Nuclear Weapons, Deterrence, and Arms Control
Chapter 4: Chemical and Biological Weapons
Chapter 5: The Terrorist Threat
Chapter 6: The Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction
II: New Sources of Insecurity
Chapter 7: Infectious Disease and Health Insecurity
Chapter 8: Transnational Criminal Organizations and Trafficking
Chapter 9: Insecurity in Cyberspace
III: Political and Social Conditions of Security
Chapter 10: The State of the State: National Security and Human Security
Chapter 11: Economics and Security
Chapter 12: Resources, the Environment, and Security
Chapter 13: Seeking Security in an Insecure World
Notes
Selected Bibliography
About the Authors

What People are Saying About This

Alexander L. George

A major contribution that incisively analyzes the many new security issues that now dominate the international arena. This study fills a major gap in the literature and will become required reading for students and policy specialists.

Paul R. Viotti

In their new book Seeking Security in an Insecure World, Dan Caldwell and Robert Williams focus our attention on a diverse set of vital issues on global and national security agendas. The clear and concise treatment of this complexity by Caldwell and Williams makes Seeking Security in an Insecure World a must read!

Tom Plate

In an age that's insecure not only about future threats but also about the very definition of security in this rapidly changing world, Caldwell and Williams offer a powerful way of seeking much better answers. They argue that, just as national economies have become increasingly globalized, so too must national thinking about security give way to more globalized perspectives. Reading this book convinces one that whatever might actually work to make our world more secure is sure to prove nothing like we have ever tried in the past. This is a timely and hugely important contribution to smart thinking about national and international security.

Michael Krepon

Dan Caldwell and Robert Williams have written a superb survey on threats to international security and how public policies can ameliorate or exacerbate them. This is a thoughtful, wise, and accessible book.

Dennis Ross

In a world that is increasingly interconnected, the very concept of security requires redefinition and broadening. Dan Caldwell and Robert Williams not only offer a cogent explanation for why this is the case, they also present an excellent overview of the range and nature of the new threats. In doing so, they have provided a real service to scholars, policymakers, and interested laypeople alike. Scholars will benefit greatly from the discussion of why traditional state-based threats are limiting and a new security paradigm incorporating non-state threats is needed. Policymakers will gain from the analysis of the character of new threats, the danger of unintended consequences when employing traditional military responses to them, and the value of new forms of cooperation for containing and combating them. And interested citizens, after reading this thoughtful book, will both understand the challenges of security in a new century better and also be able to demand more imaginative and integrated responses from governments and non-governmental organizations.

Bruce W. Jentleson

Seeking Security in an Insecure World is a unique and important contribution to the literature. No other book has the combination of scope and depth of treatment of the new global security agenda that Dan Caldwell and Robert Williams provide. Their text is insightful, engaging, grounded in theory as well as speaking to key policy issues—all in ways highly accessible for students.

Charles W. Kegley Jr.

This is must reading for all struggling to picture the coming security landscape—-an informed and informative interpretation that is sophisticated and comprehensive yet normatively centered as well. It is the best existing concise treatment of this important topic for students and interested members of the public. Highly recommended for courses dealing with the issue of security.

James M. Lindsay

Dan Caldwell and Robert Williams have taken on a daunting challenge: to make sense of the broad array of threats facing the United States and the rest of the world in the twenty-first century. They have succeeded admirably. Seeking Security in an Insecure World provides an accessible and thoughtful analysis of issues ranging from terrorism to infectious diseases to cyber warfare.

Editorial Reviews

In a world that is increasingly interconnected, the very concept of security requires redefinition and broadening. Dan Caldwell and Robert Williams not only offer a cogent explanation for why this is the case, they also present an excellent overview of the range and nature of the new threats. In doing so, they have provided a real service to scholars, policymakers, and interested laypeople alike. Scholars will benefit greatly from the discussion of why traditional state-based threats are limiting and a new security paradigm incorporating non-state threats is needed. Policymakers will gain from the analysis of the character of new threats, the danger of unintended consequences when employing traditional military responses to them, and the value of new forms of cooperation for containing and combating them. And interested citizens, after reading this thoughtful book, will both understand the challenges of security in a new century better and also be able to demand more imaginative and integrated responses from governments and non-governmental organizations. (Previous Edition Praise)

Ambassador Dennis Ross

This new edition is an insightful and brilliant analysis of what is now called ‘the new security agenda.’ Professors Caldwell and Williams provide a thoughtful, stimulating, clearly written, and fully up to date assessment of the wide range and interconnectedness of new threats in our world today. Their treatment of the indivisibility of security and the changing meaning of security in historical and contemporary settings from a broad global perspective is nothing short of superb. I highly recommend this excellent book to anyone interested in international relations, foreign policy, and security and peace studies.

Paul Gordon Lauren

Caldwell and Williams, both political scientists, put forth a distinctive new approach to the traditional concept of national security.. .. Highly recommended. (Previous Edition Praise)

Choice Reviews

In a world, where threats know no borders, this excellent book requires us to be more creative and expansive in thinking about our security. It also points to a critical need for governments and societies to be more agile and innovative in meeting these challenges.

Jami Miscik

This is must reading for all struggling to picture the coming security landscape—an informed and informative interpretation that is sophisticated and comprehensive yet normatively centered as well. It is the best existing concise treatment of this important topic for students and interested members of the public. Highly recommended for courses dealing with the issue of security. (Previous Edition Praise)

Charles W. Kegley Jr.

Caldwell and Williams, both political scientists, put forth a distinctive new approach to the traditional concept of national security.. .. Highly recommended. (Previous Edition Praise)

Choice

Caldwell and Williams, both political scientists, put forth a distinctive new approach to the traditional concept of national security.. .. Highly recommended. (Previous Edition Praise)

CHOICE

Dan Caldwell and Robert Williams have written a superb survey on threats to international security and how public policies can ameliorate or exacerbate them. This is a thoughtful, wise, and accessible book.

Michael Krepon

This book deals with this oft quoted but little understood issue in an organized and scholarly yet lively manner....In dealing with both traditional and contemporary sources of insecurity, this book provides light in an area commonly containing primarily heat.

Proceedings