National Security

Event summaries from meetings sponsored by the Environmental Change and Security Program between May and December 1997:

The 1997 issue of the ECSP's annual report frames environment in terms of the U.S. security debate, explores ecological security and demographic change; and includes a commentary on human population prospects. Complete report.

The time has come to unpackage the environment. In the three and a half decades since environmental problems first began to command public attention, they have moved from the periphery to stage center. No longer discussed only at gatherings of the converted, environmental issues are part of centrist political campaigns, the subject of major international conferences, a factor in trade negotiations and an element in the strategic plans of multinational corporations. While this attention has led to some notable successes, actions have fallen well short of needs.

As also occurs with global warming or Russia’s transition to “democracy,” the U.S. move towards an increasingly extended security praxis is accompanied by uncertainty as well as complexity. Indeed, the whole project has a futuristic air, insofar as it is a purposive venture.

Environmental concerns are now becoming an integral part of U.S. foreign policy, but within academic and policy circles there is an ongoing debate over the role that environmental stress plays in creating security threats. An argument is made here for moving beyond environmentalism and using an ecological security perspective to inform foreign policy planning and future defense allocations. Ecological security rests on maintaining four kinds of equilibrium between human beings and the physical environment.

This section highlights the work of various organizations on issues of environmental change and security. This issue includes reports from Ecologic - Centre for International and European Environmental Research, the Master of Science in Foreign Service Program at Georgetown University, and the Natural Heritage Institute.

Excerpts from recent official statements in which environmental issues are cited in the context of security institutions and national interests, and reviews by experts of new publications.

Reviews include:

In November 1994, the Wilson Center inaugurated a series of monthly luncheon meetings on environment, population, security and global relations, consisting of experts from academia, Congress, government, the military, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector. Below are detailed summaries from nine of the 1996 sessions, including presentations and selected comments.

In the 1996 issue of ECSP's annual report, Miriam R. Lowi writes about water disputes in the Middle East, while Dennis Pirages explores "microsecurity". Also in this issue: a look at overseas contamination by the military; an action plan for population, development, and environment; and Thomas Homer-Dixon's findings from a project on environment, population, and security.

Includes:

The first-ever ECSP Report includes Geoff and David Dabelko's feature on redefining environmental security; Richard Matthew's commentary on demystifying the concept of environmental security; and Marc Levy's call for a third wave of environmental security scholarship.

Includes: