From National Security to Human Security A Paradigm Shift in The Making

National security has been a catchword in political language since the American ruling elites introduced the concept to justify the arms race and the Cold War. It is usually given top priority in state policies, above economic, social and other dimensions of welfare. While the end of the Soviet Union and the eclipse of communism as an ideology allowed the global expansion of capitalism to the benefit of the wealthy minorities, it was also to the detriment of the rest of society. This paper contends that the security and welfare of all individuals is more important than the narrow elitist concern for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation-state and analyses the conceptual evolution of the doctrine of human security.