Human security is a broad paradigm that helps to understand global vulnerabilities as opposed to national security. Human security comprises a wide variety of topics, including violent conflicts, natural disasters, persistent poverty, epidemics, and economic downturns. When crises overlap, they can grow exponentially, spilling into all aspects of people’s lives, destroying entire communities, and crossing national borders.
The topic of interest is the collapse of the Soviet Union since it marked the end of the Cold War and the polarization of the world. Even though the event seems to be beneficial for humanity in the long run, the effects of the matter are numerous and complex. On the one hand, the collapse of the Soviet Union led to the rapid acceleration of regional security cooperation in the region, which crucial for human security (Petrovsky 18). Indeed, since the boundaries have dissolved, it seems natural that countries should be more open to cooperation. On the other hand, Simão claims that broader analysis leads to the understanding that post-Soviet societies suffer from instability and increasingly complex forms of insecurity (133). For instance, Leinsalu et al. report the increased number of conflicts based on ethnic differences and nationalistic moods. Such observations lead to the understanding that the short- and long-term implications of the collapse of the Soviet Union in relation to human security are controversial.
The proposed topic
The effects of the collapse of the Soviet Union in regards to human security.
What are the short- and long-term implications of the dissolution of the Soviet Union?
Thesis Statement
This paper argues that despite the apparent positive impact of the collapse of the Soviet Union for human security, the event is associated with increased instability in the region.
Works Cited
Leinsalu, Mall, Denny VÃ¥gerö, and Anton E. Kunst. “Increasing Ethnic Differences in Mortality in Estonia after the Collapse of the Soviet Union.” Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, vol. 58, no. 7, 2004, 583-589.
Petrovsky, Vladimir. “Human development and human security in Eurasia.” International Journal on World Peace, vol. 22, no. 4, 2005, p. 17-75.
Simão, LicÃnia. “(In)Security in Post-Soviet Eurasia: Contributions from Critical Security Studies”. E-Cadernos CES, no. 19, 2013, 132-152.