Human Security and the Middle East
This programme applies a human security lens to the multiple and interlocking
issues that bring nations and peoples into conflict in the Middle East
region, as a fundamental current flashpoint of great risk to global
security. The premise of a human security approach is that no political
or strategic goals can be pursued that ignore basic human needs for
safety, well-being and livelihood. People on the ground, and their legitimate
aspirations, should come before all other political or strategic considerations.
We work on two primary implications of this approach. First, in negotiations,
a way needs to be found of allowing all voices need to be heard and
respected. Solutions which exclude significant constituencies are doomed
to fail. We provide forums in which groups who disagree may begin to
build dialogue and find common interests. Second, in military interventions,
those who plan and execute them need to find ways in which operations
protect, respect and include local populations, rather than alienating
them. Our work with Western militaries offers contexts in which fresh
thinking can be undertaken about what is to be learned from mistakes
made in recent interventions.
