Political theory asks questions about what power is, where it lies and where it should be. Is power an activity, or is it something that is simply possessed and can be latent, lie dormant? Power is both an attribute, a right, and a political activity. For example, a citizen has the right to vote and the power that comes with that right, even when they choose not to exercise it. However, more power lies within that right when it is exercised and a person is politically active. Yet in the 21st century, voter turnout in UK general elections has not risen over 66%. Are we still powerful when we do not exercise our power? How do we know who to vote for, who it is that will promote the common good? And what is that common good?
The international system is divided into states: the guardians of civil society, the protectors of public funds, the means through which our freedom is protected and enlarged. The freedom to self-realise in our own lives and communities, to pursue our idea of a good life, to feel secure, to prosper. The powers and the rights of the state are held in trust by us. Economic exploitation of anyone is not acceptable and the state must pursue justice that takes no account of nationality, religion or class, but enjoins equal treatment of all.
In every election the “nation” is at the core of everyone’s campaign. The nation and its security has been paramount in any policy since the 19th century, when the idea of the modern nation was conceived. In recent years, however, a new understanding of security has emerged, moving away from traditional, state-centric conceptions of security to one that concentrates on the security of the individuals, their protection and empowerment.
In the 15th century, the Renaissance mathematician and astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus formulated a model of the universe that put the sun, rather than the Earth, at the centre of the solar system. That was a paradigm shift that led to a transformation in the way we view the universe. In a similar way, the “human security” approach puts the individual, the citizen, the civilian, at the centre of understanding security, rather than the state and its borders.
Human security is to protect the vital core of all human lives in ways that enhance human freedoms and fulfilment. It means protecting fundamental freedoms that are the essence of life, using processes that build on people’s strengths and aspirations, creating political, social, environmental, economic, military and cultural systems that together give people the building blocks of survival, livelihood and dignity. Human security means freedom from impoverishment, pollution, hunger, homelessness, ill health and illiteracy. The Commission on Human Security was established in January 2001, in response to the UN secretary general’s call at the 2000 Millennium Summit for a world free of want and fear, to promote a new integrated, coordinated and people-centred approach to advancing peace, security and development within and across nations.
In the 20th century, liberalism led to the recognition and establishment of universal suffrage and civil rights. Liberals sought and established a constitutional order that prized important individual freedoms, racial and gender equality. The legacy of liberalism in the 21st century is in the securing of those rights and freedoms, the empowerment of every person in society, the safety, prosperity and dignity of all, and the fostering of a culture where we all aspire to be our best possible selves. It is through our active political participation and commitment that we exercise our power, protect our dignity, secure our rights and demand our state does so as well.
The latest terrorist attacks in Manchester and London, alongside the continuing violence on civilians in Iraq and Syria, reinforce the fact that security is indivisible, that personal, national and international security are all parts of our human security and a foreign policy is needed that recognises this fact and this indivisibility. In the coming general election, it is the party that treats society and humanity as continuing entities whose preservation has an absolute value, the party that recognises our duties to each other and to the next generation, that is best equipped, in terms of values and aims, to secure and empower us, as individuals, as a society and as members of a wider human community. It is the Labour party.
Dr Lily Hamourtziadou
Lecturer in security at Birmingham City University
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