Gunhild Hoogensen Gjørv

Security by any other name: negative security, positive security, and a multi-actor security approach

This article examines the challenges and contradictions between some of the leading conceptions of security within the field of International Relations (IR), from those stating that the concept can only be employed by the state with regard to immediate, existential threats, to those that see security as the foundation of social life or as a human good. This article continues a discussion that has taken place in the Review of International Studies regarding the development of positive security, examining the potential use of the terms ‘negative’ and ‘positive’ security to bring clarity to these diverging security perspectives and to argue for a multi-actor security approach. It is argued that positive security perspectives, which rely on non-violent measures, ensure an emphasis upon context, values, and security practices that build trust, and by use of a multi-actor security model, shows the dynamics between state and non-state actors in the creation of security.

Governing the North American Arctic: sovereignty, security, and institutions

Governing the North American Arctic: Sovereignty, Security and Institutions is an in depth introduction to important issues relevant to the North American Arctic. The focus on North American experi...

Finding Gender in the Arctic: A Call to Intersectionality and Diverse Methods

The following chapter examines multiple aspects of including gender perspectives in Arctic research. In the chapter I discuss the definition and understanding of the concept of gender, and then move to the concept of “intersectionality” which recognizes the important linkages between multiple identities of gender, race, ethnicity, class, age, and other social categories. I then discuss both the ways in which gender has been addressed, though still minimally, in Arctic research, as well as some of the ways in which Arctic research is itself gendered. I then discuss how gendered perspectives add important insights into understanding security, and more specifically human security, in the Arctic.

Tensions Between Environmental, Economic and Energy Security in the Arctic

The notion of security is being increasingly employed in debates regarding energy consumption, economies, and human relationships to the environment, not least the issue of climate change. This chapter looks at the tensions present across many arctic communities and states reliant upon or impacted by natural resource development, where environmental concerns collide with economic and energy vulnerabilities. The purpose of this chapter is to elucidate different understandings of security in relation to the extraction and consumption of non-renewable energy resources, and what is valued or prioritized within these different conceptions. The chapter then moves briefly to the “ethical oil” debate that focused on the Alberta oil sands in 2010, and the ways in which Norwegian oil and gas politics are also making ethical claims about continued extraction.

Civil-Military Interaction, CIMIC and Interacting with Gender

Is “gender” a political buzzword or does the concept embody a purpose and role for realizing security for both the operation as well as the civilian environment to increase mission efficiency? This chapter explains how gender perspectives are relevant for military operations but identifies some challenges for policy, practice and acceptance within the military. The chapter provides key background information for practitioners to begin to understand the role of gender analysis in operational planning and execution, as well as to understand the role of gender perspectives in a broader security picture, in turn informing best military practices towards a positive end state. The chapter highlights central claims in UN and NATO policy that have been endorsed by member states. The challenge is the implementation. The purpose of the chapter is not to provide a checklist on gender, but to instead encourage analytical thinking about the civil-military interface and the different security perceptions operating therein.

Human Security in the Arctic: The IPY GAPS Project

During the usual rush of “Arctic” themed conferences in the fall of 2014, human security in the Arctic was on the agenda. The Transatlantic Science Week in Toronto, Canada, arranged a panel that looked at non-state security challenges in the Arctic, ranging from search and rescue issues to health, food, identity, and environmental security

Louise Olsson. Gender Equality and United Nations Peace Operations in Timor Leste

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