Transnational Issues and Security

Paper Summary:

The paper argues that the transnational issues of terrorism, oil shortages and large scale immigration of peoples pose a threat to both contemporary intrastate security and global security. The paper discusses how oil shortages cause oil-dependent states to want to secure oil reserves, the very essence of terrorism poses an obvious security threat and the large scale migrations of people between states pose a threat to the intrastate security areas of nationalism, economics, culture and society.

From the Paper:

"The precarious nature of the global situation of oil supplies has the potential to cause severe interstate conflict. This potential for conflict is centered on three factors: firstly, the developed global North is highly dependant on oil. In fact, the global North consumes over twice as much fossil fuels as the global South. This is even more so with America, which consumes 6 times as much as the global South. Secondly, much of Earth's oil reserves are located in highly unstable Middle Eastern states. Hence, the flow of oil from these countries is essentially unpredictable. Thirdly, global reserves of oil are rapidly exhausting. This state of affairs is compounded by underdeveloped states quickly becoming industrialised. From these factors, several potential situations where interstate conflict could occur can be identified. As oil reserves are exhausted and competition for remaining sources builds, highly dependant states could conceivably see the need for a secure oil flow as important enough to warrant martial actions. This could mean the invasion of oil rich states. Some academics, such as Dr Doug Stokes, have argued that such a situation has already been realized in the U.S led invasion of Iraq."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Adamson F. 'Crossing Borders: International Migration and National Security', International Security, vol. 31, iss. 1, 2006, pp. 165-199.
• Baylis J. and Smith S. The Globalization of World Politics: an introduction to international relations, 3rd edn, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2005.
• Campbell D. 'The Biopolitics of Security: Oil, Empire, and the Sports Utility Vehicle', American Quarterly, vol. 57, iss. 3, 2005, pp. 943-972.
• Carens J. 'Aliens and Citizens: The Case of Open Borders', Review of Politics, vol. 40, 1987, pp. 251-273.
• Dupont A. 'transnational Security', in Ayson R. and Ball D. (ed), Strategy and Security in the Asia-Pacific, Sydney, Allen and Unwin, 2006.

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