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31/05/2011

The evolution of the concepto of security (June 2011) (DIEEEM05-2011)

In the language of social science "security" is a controversial concept, as there is not a broad consensus about its meaning. Depending on people's ideas, culture and perceptions of reality, the term security gets a different value.
This fact is supported by the important number of security definitions that have appeared, especially since the end of the Cold War. National Security, Common Security, Collective Security, Shared Security, Human Security or Cooperative Security make a description of what their ideologists consider must be understood by security and, what could even be more important, how to obtain it1. In recent years, other terms have appeared apart from the ones already quoted like Sustainable Security, as well as other hybrid concepts like "hard power-soft power" or "smart power".
This document from the Institute for Strategic Studies (IEEE: Instituto Español de Estudios Estratégicos) aims at making a brief analysis on the evolution of the concept of security.