Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The aim of the paper is to reconceptualize the concept of state-centric security toward embodied security from feminist perspective. The subject of security means the subject to be secured. This paper acknowledges the complexities of the multiple insecurities created by the deterritorialized world in which wars and conflicts affect more and more civilian population, and have devastating effects on the lives of women, children and vulnerable groups of men. However, the role of women in conflict prevention, peace-building and reconstruction is often overlooked. In this paper the emphasis is on the discussion how changing the subject of security may help to acknowledge these gendered and embodied insecurities and thus develop the concept of security within IR so that the agency and subjecivity of these formerly unacknowledged groups can be taken into account.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The post-Soviet Central Asian states have increased in visibility recently, in particular regarding the evolving relationship of the external great powers � the United States, Russia, China, and to a lesser extent India. Varying forms and degrees of multilateral security regimes are under experimentation, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Collective Security Treaty Organization. The United States, meanwhile, has chosen to maintain a bilateral approach to its relations in the region. In this paper, I explore the current status of security relations in the Central Asian region, seeking to determine those conditions and patterns of behavior consistent with the construction of a security community, and those consistent with an emerging security dilemma, adopting in particular the notion of �cooperative security dilemmas� as put forth by Holger Moelder in his study of the Baltic States. The paper also considers potential costs and benefits of the United States taking a more multilateral approach in the region, particularly in inter-institutional relations between NATO and the SCO.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This presentation aims to analyze the dilemmas of security in the contexts of Afghanistan and Syria. More specifically, it will focus on dilemmas of “security and democracy” in the Syrian case and “security and stability” in the Afghan case. The concept of security has been a key topic in political science and international relations. During Cold War years, there was a strong tendency to reflect whole discipline of international relations as the locus of various security dilemmas. However, post-Cold War studies on security tended to be more independent and to use inter-disciplinary approaches. Such a novelty was a result of changes in international security structure as well as the new security problems. In this presentation, we will touch upon new theoretical discussions and new challenges on the ground within the framework of dilemmas of security with that of democracy and of stability respectively. We aim to comprehend the different perspectives of the security studies in light of the specific discussions on the dilemmas of security - democracy and security - stability with the empirical evidence that the cases of Syria and Afghanistan propose. In addition to theoretical discussion and provision of our own novel framework on the issue, the presentation rests on research consisting of field trips depending mainly on observation and in-depth interviews with the policy-makers, civil society organizations, academics and public opinion leaders in Syria and Afghanistan. This presentation will attempt to link theoretical discussions with the policy making considerations in the cases of Afghanistan and Syria, which highly suffer from the implications of the security-democracy and security-stability dilemmas. The research and the presentation will contribute to literature by illuminating the complex nature of the dilemmas of security and by offering analytical tools and conceptualizations in understanding inside/outside dichotomy of security at domestic and global levels.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Since the eruption of al-Aqsa intifada there has been a rise in the legal discrimination of the Palestinian citizens of Israel. New legal tools have been introduced to enhance the �??security�?� of the majority at the expense of the political rights of the minority. As a result, Palestinian Israelis are further marginalized from the centers of power, enable to participate as equals in the political process. Under these circumstances what are the future prospects for the majority-minority relations in Israel? Is civil war eminent? How does the external conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians affect the relationship between Jews and Arab in Israel? These are the issues addressed in the paper. The research question asked is why has there been a rise in the legal discrimination of Arab Israelis since the eruption of al-Aqsa intifada and what are the security implications of that rise?By examining the policies adopted by the Israeli government since 2000, the paper establishes the social, cultural and political dominance of the Jews in Israel over the Arab minority while examining the larger context of the conflict as well as the Zionist ideology and its development in the 21st century.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This paper examines the emergence of a private security industry and its impact on global governance. While considerable attention has been paid to private military companies, the private security sector and the transnational companies that dominate it has been subject to little analysis. This paper provides an overview of the global private security sector, and argues that it is part of shifting global/local security networks. These networks are particularly important in the developing world, where they are linked to international institutions and capital, as well as national state actors. The argument is illustrated through an analysis of private security networks in Sierra Leone and Nigeria, where transnational private security plays important roles in security provision, state authority and political order.