Security and Democracy

Security can be defined as the quality of subjects who are free from threats and aggressions towards their individuality[1]. This concept has been one of the main objects of study in International Relations, as it shapes the way in which governments act and how policies are shaped. The relevance of the concept of security increased when the nation-state became the main political unit of the international system. In this context, security can be understood as a tool of political power that must be safeguarded by the entity in control of the state, as it is directly related to national security.

Thus, the security of a political system encompasses all the measures adopted by a government to give an answer to exceptional situations that cannot be dealt with through ordinary political mechanisms. Traditionally, security’s reference object has been the nation state, more specifically, its main elements (territory, population and sovereignty). This was due to the fact that the main source of aggression was to be found in other states, and thus the aim was to avoid direct military confrontation.

With the end of the Cold War, the debate about the concept of security was broadened to introduce new perspectives. As the division between the West and the East came to an end, the source of threats shifted from being located in other state actors to internal actors. This allowed a reconceptualisation of security through its broadening and its deepening[2]. On the one hand, the number of fields where security became relevant increased (broadening), and it included not only military threats but also famines and pandemics. On the other hand, the reference objects shifted from the nation-state to the individual or communities (deepening). In other words, what was meant to be protected where the needs and life conditions of the population, rather than state integrity.

Numerous approaches to security praxis stemmed from this conceptualization, and they shifted the perception of modern security. One of the most relevant approaches is the Human Security approach, developed by the United Nations. This concept took form during the 90s, and it takes individuals as the reference object, focusing on their “freedom from fear” and “freedom from want”[3]. The relationship between states had ceased being a concern, and hence institutions aimed their attention at safeguarding the population’s needs. Human security adds seven areas that must be considered under security: economic security, food security, health security, environmental security, personal security, community security and political security.

The United Nations includes all these different human security fields in their Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development[4]. Among them, we can highlight Objective 16, “achieving peace, justice and solid institutions”. Amongst the aims that this objective encompasses we find 16.6 to “develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels”; 16.7 to “ensure responsible, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels”; and 16.10 to “ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements”.

Nowadays, there are a number of problems threatening democratic integrity - even in states with an already established democratic system. According to the 2018 World Risks Report from the World Economic Forum[5], there are a new series of global threats putting the right functioning of the democratic system at risk. Among them, we can highlight three main threats related to the digital technologies of information and communications: cyberattacks, fraud and data stealing and disinformation.

According to the World Risks report, cyberattacks are one of the most likely risks to materialize (6/10) and with a higher level of impact (4/10). The destabilizing capacity of this kind of attacks has already been experienced (WannaCry case). In a context where we are more interconnected every day, the consequences of this kind of attacks are immeasurable, as they can expose public administrations and companies from big strategic sectors.

Secondly, we find fraud and data stealing (4/10), in a moment when personal data is becoming more valuable than it has ever been. In the facing of this threat, the EU has developed the regulation about Personal Data Protection, whose main aim is to ensure the protection of users’ personal data.

Finally, disinformation is today one of the most relevant issues that democracies are facing. There are enormous amounts of information available nowadays, thanks to the proliferation of social and digital media. At a time when we can be more informed than we ever have before, the so-called “fake news” are distorting social reality by providing users with fake or biased information.

Given the recent reemergence of tensions between states, it is important not to overlook these democratic risks, which are putting in danger the security of both specific states and the international system as a whole. As the democratic peace theory[6] stated, democratic states are the most likely to avoid armed conflict with other democracies. It is thus crucial to be protected in the face of new threats that can destabilize democratic systems in the international context.