People, States, and Fear: An Agenda for International Security Studies in the Post-Cold War Era

by Barry Buzan

The second edition of this book takes as its main theme the question of how states and societies pursue freedom from threat in an environment in which competitive relations are inescapable across the political, economic, military, societal and environmental landscapes. Throughout, attention is focused on the interplay of threats and vulnerabilities, policies of overemphasizing one or the other, and the existence of the types of contradictions which are endemic to ideas about security. The author argues that the concept of security is a useful way of approaching the study of international relations and that ideas about security can help frame an analysis of power and peace. The new edition has been revised and updated and takes a more positive, post-1989 tone. More emphasis is placed on the economic, societal and environmental aspects of security. The chapters on threat, the international political system and economic security have been rewritten and there is a new chapter on regional security. The book also includes new sections on developments in security concepts during the 1980s and on international society. An expanded discussion of the theory of the state and of weak and strong states is included.

Genres: International Relations, Politics, Nonfiction, Political Science, History

393 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Barry Buzan is Emeritus Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science (formerly Montague Burton Professor), and honorary professor at Copenhagen and Jilin Universities. In 1998 he was elected a Fellow of the British Academy. He has written, co-authored or edited over twenty books, written or co-authored more than one hundred and thirty articles and chapters, and lectured, broadcast or presented papers in over twenty countries. Among his books are: People, States and Fear: The National Security Problem in International Relations (1983, revised 2nd edition 1991); The Logic of Anarchy: Neorealism to Structural Realism (1993, with Charles Jones and Richard Little); Security: A New Framework for Analysis (1998, with Ole Wæver and Jaap de Wilde); International Systems in World History: Remaking the Study of International Relations (2000, with Richard Little); Regions and Powers: The Structure of International Security (2003, with Ole Wæver); From International to World Society? English School Theory and the Social Structure of Globalisation (2004); The Evolution of International Security Studies (2009, with Lene Hansen) and Non-Western International Relations Theory (2010, co-edited with Amitav Acharya). Work in progress includes The Global Transformation: The 19th Century and the Making of Modern International Relations (2013, with George Lawson).

Reviews

[Mayim de Vries · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seriously. If I could kidnap Barry Buzan's brain and keep it in the form of my familiar, I would. In a heartbeat.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a highly complex and complicated work of analysis into what Security is. It is absolutely NOT intended for the skim reader or neophite in the subject. It is difficult, densely written and at times very hard to keep track of. That being said, if you manage to understand the concepts Buzan is outlining, you will be highly rewarded. He explains things with a lot of detail, but somehow most of the times forgets to include a real life example - this is the only drawback to this work. His dialogue remains in the sphere of philosophy most of the time, not because of a lack of connection with the real world, but because of his failure to connect the dots for the inexperienced reader. If you have the patience, and more than anything, the interest, this book is absolutely worth it. I enjoyed it very much and my ability to analyze certain things got better after finishing it.

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barry Buzan’s People, States, and Fear was not just a textbook; it was a tectonic shift in the way I understood international security.

Reading it during the Delhi monsoon of 2001, while thunderclouds dramatized every page turn, felt metaphorically appropriate. Buzan takes the classic “security dilemma” and gives it steroids—broadening the idea of security beyond military threats to include political, societal, economic, and environmental dimensions. It was the first time I encountered the notion that the state is not always the best referent object of security—a stunning idea for a reader trained in traditional IR.

The book interrogates the entire architecture of the post-Westphalian world order, especially in the wake of the Cold War’s ideological vacuum. Buzan’s critique of realism and his reconfiguration of security as both a horizontal and vertical process—between individuals, groups, states, and systems—was mind-expanding. His “regional security complex” theory planted early seeds of what would later evolve in the Copenhagen School.

What struck me most, then and now, is how Buzan doesn’t offer utopian answers. He offers clarity. Like the monsoon rains washing Delhi’s streets clean, this book scrubs away lazy thinking and forces the reader to reconsider power, fear, and survival in global politics.

Twenty-plus years later, the questions still linger. Who is being secured? By whom? Against what? And is that fear real—or manufactured?

Buzan left me drenched, not just by rain, but by radical doubt.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a complex but excellent insight into the problems of security for state and non state actors. Seemingly taking a point between defensive and offensive realism but also acknowledging liberal ideas.

I would recommend this for anyone studying IR, Global politics security studies etc. Do be aware that a background in these issues is needed so a university level textbook would be a good place to start.

[Calvin]

Not for casual reader. This book describe a comprehensive theory of "Security Complex" where states are initially concerned with the dynamics of their closest neighbors. It is a very good theory to explain why some states are concerned other states it geographically close.

[- · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Deden Alfathimy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first book which is read ambitiously to be finished chapter-by-chapter, page-by-page, even word-by-word because of its depth of philosophical thinking in security subject. As International Relations scholar, this is a very comprehensive start to dive more in Security-related studies. The most notable ideas I noticed are the idea of 'national security is not simply a simple accumulation of individual security' and multiple(five)-sector sources of threats (military, political, economic, societal, and environmental). This is a classic and still worth to grasp.

[Miriam Cihodariu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mandatory read in college (Sociology with a major in International Relations). It was one of the 'OK' books I read as an intro for the coursework. Very thorough, good for getting you up to speed with major theories.

[mharipin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic and important reference for security analyst

[Anil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read it because of my thesis and it was a good book to have gain perspectives about the national security matter and broader concept of security. My only concern about the book is the timeline that has been written. So some of the hypothesis and assumptions aren't valid anymore. But overall it was a fine study to read.

[Ahmet Kaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barry Buzan İngiliz Okulunun en önemli temsilcilerinden biri. Bu en önemli eserinde güvenlik kavramını çok kapsamlı ve tüm yönleriyle incelemiş. Uluslararası ilişkiler öğrencileri için yüksek lisans ve üzeri düzeyde tavsiye edebileceğim bir kitap. Temel düzeyde bilgisi olana fazla gelebilir. Ama alandaki herkes okumalı.

[Will · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buzan assesses the concept of security, seeking to understand exactly what the concept refers to, specifically in terms of whether or not we should see its referent as existing at the level of the individual, the state or international society.

[Mustafa Aqeli]

it is the best for security studies