SOAS Research Online

Abstract

With the end of the Cold War came shifts in the way that security was perceived and pursued. The failing favour of the nation state provided space for the concept of human security and with it a plethora of associated security actors. Human security has particular resonance in Congo as millions of people have died in the wars, and the majority of the deaths have not resulted directly from military violence. At the level of policy and practice, though, the contribution of human security is questionable: it has not inspired effective protection of the population. In addition, the relationship between human security and national security, originally theorised in terms of exclusive sovereignty, has proved to be more complex.