Liberty to Live : Human Security & Development

Liberty to Live examines the origins of human security, its rationale, and its crucial role in development. Human security is a process of intervention to protect the vital core of all human lives in ways that enhance freedom from fear and want. It is ironic that in a time of global prosperity there is a growing atmosphere of danger at home and abroad. In the United States, fear of terrorism found its response in homeland security. In the Middle East and the developing world the threat is armed violence, poverty and disease. In contrast to most countries that over the past decades witnessed great improvement in their economic and social conditions, there are vast areas in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and South America where lack of natural resources or access to the market make them unable to compete in the world economy. Severe deprivation is still a way of life for entire populations. More than 2.5 billion people live on less than 1 to 2 dollars a day, threatening their very survival. Even as the chief beneficiaries of globalisation enjoy tremendous advancements in health, education and living standards, over 40% of the world''s population, facing threats of severe poverty, constitute a global underclass. This book explores the policy and practice of human security -- what must be done to remove fear and want from those who are its victims across the world. It should be of particular interest to practitioners and students in the field of social work, social development, and international studies. Moreover, its content is broad enough to command the attention of anyone committed to change in the international arena, lay people and professionals alike. Human security, with its increasing prominence and at the cutting edge of research, has a wide appeal.