Seeking Security in an Insecure World

Our understanding of security has changed significantly since the end of the Cold War. No longer is war the only security threat that states face. Nor is war what it once was. Today's security agenda includes the threat posed by the spread of infectious disease. It includes global warming and oil shortages. It pits states against ethnic rebellions and transnational criminal organizations and, of course, a global network of terrorist organizations. It contemplates wars in cyber-space and on the ground against elusive individuals and shadowy organizations rather than states. The quest for security, in other words, has become far more urgent than it was during the euphoric days of the post-Cold War period and far more complicated than it was during the Cold War.

Seeking Security in an Insecure World is intended to provide a brief but thorough introduction to contemporary security studies. With clear and lively prose, compelling examples, and solid scholarship, it will engage both students and general readers who wish to gain a better understanding of what security means today and how it can best be achieved.