In March 2008 the Government published "The National Security Strategy of the United Kingdom: Security in an interdependent world" (NSS) (Cm. 7291, 2008, ISBN 9780101729123). Part dealt with the contribution of the armed forces to the overarching security policy of the UK, and the Defence Committee set out to examine "how the MoD and the Armed Forces interact with other departments and agencies to ensure the safety and security of the UK". The report looks at the developing area of Parliamentary scrutiny of national security, welcomes the proposed creation of a Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy, but does question which minister will give evidence to that Committee. The vital role of the ministry of Defence is outlined, and the contribution must be appropriately understood, directed and resourced. The Committee recommends that the Government investigate how the Territorial Army could be used in civil emergencies, rather than always resorting to regular troops. It is essential that all activity relating to national security is appropriately funded from an indicative national security budget. The NSS should also make a clearer connection between the strategy and industry, and the Committee welcomes the Government's engagement with the UK Security and Resilience Industry Suppliers' Community. Current issues examined include: the London 2012 Olympic Games; maritime security - the Committee comments on only six Royal Navy ships being dedicated to this, and the level of action taken to address identified threats to aspects of critical infrastructure such as ports; the impact of current operations and the extent to which UK forces are stretched or overstretched.

National security is being redefined in the 21st century. Rapid advances in technology are reminiscent of the initiation of the nuclear age. As the cyber realm and outer space develop as new domains of international competition, there are new strategies and tools for states to utilize and also defend against. Important elements of national security and some strategies are not new but would benefit from exploration with a fresh perspective. This book seeks to explore some of the changing relationships, the nature of alliances, and the UN to better understand national security in the digital and information age. The framework of international law as applied to new domains and gray-zone activity will also be explored to understand the tactics being used in the current strategic environment. Examining these significant elements of national security with a modern eye provides important insights for policymakers and the public in this new age of national security.

Environmental change presents a new context and new opportunities for transformational change. This timely book will inspire new ways of understanding the relationship between environmental change and human security. A Changing Environment for Human Security: Transformative Approaches to Research, Policy and Action both supports and informs a call for new, transformative approaches to research, policy and action. The chapters in this book include critical analyses, case studies and reflections on contemporary environmental and social challenges, with a strong emphasis on those related to climate change. Human thoughts and actions have contributed to an environment of insecurity, manifested as multiple interacting threats that now represent a serious challenge to humanity. Yet humans also have the capacity to collectively transform the economic, political, social and cultural systems and structures that perpetuate human insecurities. These fresh perspectives on global environmental change from an interdisciplinary group of international experts will inspire readers – whether students, researchers, policy makers, or practitioners – to think differently about environmental issues and sustainability. The contributions show that in a changing environment, human security is not only a possibility, but a choice.

This classic text provides a rich and nuanced discussion of American national security policymaking. American National Security remains the ideal foundational text for courses in national security, foreign policy, and security studies. Every chapter in this edition has been extensively revised, and the book includes discussion of recent security policy changes in the Trump administration. Highlights include: • An updated look at national security threats, military operations, and homeland security challenges • An analysis of the evolving roles of the president, Congress, the intelligence community, the military, and other institutions involved in national security • A revised consideration of the strengths, limitations, and employment of instruments of national power, including diplomacy, information, economic tools, and armed forces • An exploration of the economic and national security implications of globalization • An enhanced examination of the proliferation of transnational threats, including security challenges in space and in cyberspace • A new assessment of how international, political, and economic trends may change US leadership of the post–World War II international order • A comprehensive update on changing dynamics in key states and regions, including Russia, China, East Asia, the Middle East, South Asia, Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America An authoritative book that explains US national security policy, actors, and processes in a wide-ranging yet understandable way, American National Security addresses key issues, including challenges to the free and open international order, the reemergence of strategic competition among great powers, terrorism, economic and fiscal constraints, and rapid advances in information and technology.

Resilience is increasingly discussed as a key concept across many fields of international policymaking from sustainable development and climate change, insecurity, conflict and terrorism to urban and rural planning, international aid provision and the prevention of and responses to natural and man-made disasters. Edited by leading academic authorities from a number of disciplines, this is the first handbook to deal with resilience as a new conceptual approach to understanding and addressing a range of interdependent global challenges. The Handbook is divided into nine sections: Introduction: contested paradigms of resilience; the challenges of resilience; governing uncertainty; resilience and neoliberalism; environmental concerns and climate change adaptation; urban planning; disaster risk reduction and response; international security and insecurity; the policy and practices of international development. Highlighting how resilience-thinking is increasingly transforming international policy-making and government and institutional practices, this book will be an indispensable source of information for students, academics and the wider public interested in resilience, international relations and international security.

Psychological resilience has emerged as a highly significant area of research and practice in recent years, finding applications with a broad range of different groups in many settings. Contemporary discourse is not limited to ways of effective coping with adversity but also introduces mechanisms that can lead to enhanced capacity after dealing with difficult circumstances and recognises the importance of enriching the field with varied perspectives. The Routledge International Handbook of Psychosocial Resilience is a comprehensive compendium of writings of international contributors that takes stock of the state-of-the-art in resilience theory, research and practice. The Routledge International Handbook of Psychosocial Resilience covers the many different trajectories that resilience research has taken in four parts. Part One delineates the ‘Conceptual Arena’ by providing an overview of the current state of theory and research, exploring biological, psychological, and socio-ecological perspectives and discussing various theoretical models of personal and social resilience. The ‘Psychosocial Correlates’ of resilience are discussed further in Part Two, from personal and personality correlates, socio-environmental factors and the contextual and cultural conditions conducive to resilient behaviour. In Part Three, ‘Applied Evidences’ are introduced in order to build upon the theoretical foundations in the form of several case studies drawn from varied contexts. Examples of resilient behaviour range from post-disaster scenarios to special operation groups, orphaned children, and violent extremism. Finally, Part Four, ‘Proposed Implications and Resilience Building’, sums up the issues involved in discussing post-traumatic growth, wellbeing and positive adaptation in the varied contexts of personal, familial, organizational and societal resilience. The volume provides a comprehensive overview of resilience theory, practice and research across disciplines and cultures, from varied perspectives and different populations. It will be a key reference for psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists and psychiatric social workers in practice and in training as well as researchers and students of psychology, sociology, human development, family studies and disaster management.

This timely Research Handbook provides novel insights into the institutional complexities of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Through a defined focus on the post-Cold War evolution of NATO, it provides various theoretical perspectives on the Alliance and assesses wider research efforts within NATO studies.

First Published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Since 2000, the Gulf Coast states – Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida – have experienced a series of hurricanes, multiple floods and severe storms, and one oil spill. These disasters have not only been numerous but also devastating. Response to and recovery from these unprecedented disasters has been fraught with missteps in management. In efforts to avoid similar failures in the future, government agencies and policy practitioners have looked to recast emergency management, and community resilience has emerged as a way for to better prevent, manage, and recover from these disasters. How is disaster resilience perceived by local government officials and translated into their disaster response and recovery efforts? Ashley D. Ross systematically explores and measures disaster resilience across the Gulf Coast to gain a better understanding of how resilience in concept is translated into disaster management practices, particularly on the local government level. In doing so, she presents disaster resilience theory to the Gulf Coast using existing data to create county-level baseline indicators of Gulf Coast disaster resilience and an original survey of county emergency managers and elected municipal officials in 60 counties and 120 municipalities across the Gulf States. The findings of the original survey measure the disaster resilience perceptions held by local government officials, which are examined to identify commonalities and differences across the set of cases. Additional analyses compare these perceptions to objective baseline indicators of disaster resilience to assess how perceptions align with resilience realities. Local Disaster Resilience not only fills a critical gap in the literature by applying existing theories and models to a region that has experienced the worst disasters the United States has faced in the past decade, but it can also be used as a tool to advance our knowledge of disasters in an interdisciplinary manner.