Comprehend the concept of internal security and expalin various dimension Dimensions of Internal Security?10M

 An important component of governance is upholding the rule of law and ensuring the safety and security of its people. If a country fails in this endeavor, it loses its claim to be called a nation and becomes prone to disintegration and turmoil. There may be many reasons which could lead to such a situation including political unrest, economic instability, social breakdown, or violence along ethnic lines. Many times the forces leading these attempts are within a country, however, there may be external powers who intend to exploit the local turmoil and may foster violence or other forms of instability within the host country. All these form a part of the internal security situation of a country.

the Committee on Centre–State Relations, Government of India has defined internal

security as:

“Security against threats faced by a country within its national borders, either caused by inner political turmoil, or provoked, prompted or proxied by an enemy country, perpetrated even by such groups that use a failed, failing or weak state, causing insurgency, terrorism or any other subversive acts that target innocent citizens, cause animosity between and amongst groups of citizens and communities intended to cause or causing violence, destroy or attempt to destroy public and private establishment

Dimensions of Internal Security

In view of  definitions, it may be practicable to list the various dimensions of internal security as armed rebellions, political security, economic security, environmental security and cyber security. Let us look at these dimensions on by one

Armed rebellions

Many countries have faced the threat of armed rebellions by sections of local populations.These are typically low intensity warfare and frequently the rebels use guerilla warfare tactics.For instance, in Columbia, The Revolutionary Armed Forces-Peoples‘ Army (FARC) haveraised a sustained armed campaign against the government. The group has used terrorism andmilitary tactics to fight Columbian security forces. Similarly, the Farabundo Marti NationalLiberation Front (FMNL) in El Salvador, and the Sandinistas in Nicaragua followed the Maoistideology and sought to fight the government forces with weapons. The Zapatista uprising inMexico was also along similar lines

Political security

The political aspect of security is an important part of internal security. Political security is closely connected to the ruling class whether it is a democracy or any other form of government. There may be large scale unrest if the policies of the ruling group are believed to beunfair or prejudicial. In this sense, political security is linked to the societal order. Variousgroups of political importance such as tribes, extreme left of right wing elements, some religious organizations, or those allied with a particular race, caste or language within a country may try tothreaten the political security. Besides the groups operating inside a country, there may be threatsto internal security from other nation states or groups of nation states such as ASEAN, or NATO.The forces outside the country may pose a threat to the internal security by their actions. Thestate has to deal with each of them with an appropriate response which may range fromnegotiations, diplomacy or low intensity warfare.

Economic security

The paradigm of economic security has changed over the years. While earlier the capture of nations by invaders would give them new resources and control over trade routes, today‘seconomy is characterized more by interdependence of world economies.Historically, conquest of nations has made conquerors rich through loot, access to newresources and enlarged trade by controlling a conquered nations' economy. Today's complexsystem of international trade ischaracterized by multi-national agreements and mutual interdependence.Economic security today forms an important part of national security. The creationand protection of jobs which provide sustenance to people and fuel to the nation‘s economicprogress vehicle are vital to internal security. In this regard, the developing world is stillstruggling to provide basic services to its citizens. Third world countries are less secure due tolack of employment for their citizens. For instance, Brazil‘s economy suffered a major recessionwhich was linked to political crisis in the first half of 2016

Environmental security

Environmental security deals with environmental issues which affect the internal securityof a country. There could be global environmental problems such as climate change, or deforestation.

Climate change and other environments may affect livelihoods of people. For instance,there was a dispute between Chile and Peru about their fish populations. Fisheries are an instanceof a resource that cannot be confined within borders of one country. A conflict beforethe International Court of Justice between the two countries about maritime borders and theirassociated fisheries is a case related to environmental security Environmental or resource problems could also threaten a nation's security. Suchdisagreements could range from sharp tension or total conflict. For instance, disputes over waterscarcity in the Middle East could be an example. Similarly, illegal immigration into the UnitedStates may be caused partly by the failure of agriculture in the neighbouring country of Mexico.The civil war and the consequent genocide in the African country Rwanda, triggered in part bythe rise in population and decreasing availability of farmland, is an example of the extremity of consequencewhich is due to the issues of environmental security.

Cyber-security 

Recently, cybersecurity began to be viewed as a pressing national security issue. Electronic information systems are vital for maintaining a national security of any state. Possible unauthorized access to the critical governmental infrastructures by state and non-state entities can create a serious threat and have a negative impact on political, economic and militarysecurity of a given nation.