The Societal Security Dilemma

Speculation on the social security approach aiming at the explanation of the theoretical relationship between security and identity has been among the recent approaches adopted by Europeans particularly in the field of security studies. This has assisted neo-realists like Barry Buzan and the Copenhagen School’s scholars to explain security enigmas at the both intra- and interstate levels. Barry Buzan was the first to use the term social security in his work “People, States and Fear” and viewed it as threats that endanger the societal identity. On this basis, the main assumption of the social security approach implies that the survival and persistence of any society depends on the preservation of its identity. Such characteristic is more apparent regarding those societies which lack the statehood position and their reactions to the threats that are posed to them are more important in political and security terms. These threats may involve the ban on the use of an identity community’s language, particular name and clothing, the closure of educational and religious places, or the expulsion and extermination of the members of the community in a way that would make their expression of the identity impossible. On this basis, this article seeks to operationalize the concept of security enigma at the intrastate level and to reflect the distinct identities of the self and the other in social relationships.