Rethinking the Agenda for Security Studies in the Post Cold War Era - Debates and Expositions

Abstract The basic thrust of this paper is to examine the debates and expositions on the scope of security studies in the Post-Cold War era. The complexities of a rapidly globalizing world, attendant security threats and technological sophistication have made discussions on security studies quite polemical. The paper interrogated the liberal and realistic perspectives, highlighting the non-universality of the components of security and the attainment of peace as the focus of security studies. The need for interdependence was identified, while noting that a restrictive scope of security studies ensures that the field has defined focus and fosters analytical coherence. The evolution of human security studies as a distinct field of enquiry offers the necessary bulwark against undue broadening of this field. The fluidity of discourse on the themes of this paper and the theoretical anchor on democratic peace theory underline the significance of this paper and contribution to scholarship in this emerging discipline. Key Words: Security, Security Studies, Post- Cold War Era, Strategy, Strategic Studies. JCMRJournal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 6, No. 1, April 2014, 183 – 192 ©Delmas Communications Ltd. About the authors *Dr. Jide Ibietan is with the Department of Political Science and International Relations, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria **Felix Chidozie is with the Department of Political Science and International Relations, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria ***Ese Ujara is with the Department of Political Science and International Relations, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria Full Article Words: 5,334; Pages: 10