Alessandro Cuneo
2310110739
Nowadays, International security is presented as a complex web of interconnected factor which care influence and shaped by political, social and historical dynamics;
The term “relative” security is used for emphaiszing the fact that security is not an objective state but, as it can be seen in this short argumentative essay, it can depend on subjective perception of who is going to define the issue.
For analyzing this argument, a post-colonial perspective can be used for viewing the presence of imperialist and colonialist structures and effects.
Furthermore, a feminist approach can be used for analyzing how the implication of gendered power relation affect the international security matters.
Israel-Palestinian conflict is a contemporary example of an ongoing international security issue. This military and political conflict can be analyzed through both a post-colonial and a feminist perspective.
Adopting a postcolonial perspective, it is possible to acknowledge the effects of colonialism and imperialism on global power dynamics and on the security paradigms.
Similarly, a feminist approach renders visible how gendered power relations intersect with security concerns, often relegating certain groups to the margins of security discourse.
From a post colonial perspective: the Isreal-Palestinian conflict is rooted in the long history of the European colonialism and imperialism in the middle East. The creation of the state of Israel, that took place in 1948, provoked a huge palestinian displacement resulting to the current “palestinian crisis”.
The manifestation of Israel's colonial attitude can be seen in the limitation of Palestinian movement, in the complete control of Palestinian territory by Israeli military forces and by the Israeli use of force.
The term “relativity of security” can be clearly seen in this scenario: on the one hand, Israel framed its security in terms of defending itself from the neighboring Arab states and from some non-state actors, such as Hamas. At the same time, Israel is economically and militarily financed by Western countries who regard Israel as a barrier against the increasing Islamic Fundamentalism.
On the other hand, through the Palestinian perspective, Israel security measures are seen as just a way for controlling and oppressing palestinian people, the true owners of those lands.
This relativity of Security can be also seen in the international discourse where the Palestinian concerns are downgraded even if they are suffering occupation and violence.
Because of Western Narratives, Hamas and its affiliates had been regarded as extremists from a fanatical religious group who only aimed at destroying Israel instead of a form of “anti-colonial resistance”.
Their actions and attacks are envisioned as terroristic rather than, as Tarak Barkawi explained, in “on the pedagogy of small wars”, the classic forms of weapons employed by the weak. Both sides are simply using the instruments that are available to them in the most effective way.
Here we can see the dual narrative and the relativity of security, the justification of Israel unconditional use of force and condemnation of Palestine defensive tactics.
From a post-structural feminist approach: this conflict had been gendered by “masculinizing” israel forces with connotation and values linked with strength and superiority, and by “feminizing” the palestinians which are believed to use rudimental instruments of warfare and terrorist attacks due to their inferiority and weaknesses. From this feminist perspective, security is not merely a matter of protecting territorial integrity but also encompasses broader notions of human security, including economic well-being, physical safety, and access to justice.
This “genderalization” is inherent in the international arena and it is fostered and amplified by the post-colonial approach.
For this same reason, we cannot refer to the post colonial approach without referring to the feminist approach. The feminist post-structuralist approach gives a lot of importance to all those resistance focuses who fight against hegemonic power.
Lastly, this hierarchical division, between the superior and the inferior, and this duality, between the “masculinized” and “feminized” subjects, has been developed and historically supported by all those international institutions who were supposed to refuse it. A recent example had been the UN incapability to impose cease fire in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
This asymmetrical approach to Security reinforce the power imbalances and highly undermine all the efforts brought about to achieve a lasting and just peace in the region.
In conclusion, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict provides a multifaceted case study for analyzing international security from both a post-colonial and feminist perspective. Understanding the historical legacies of colonialism, the unequal power dynamics between Israel and the Palestinians, and the gendered dimensions of violence and insecurity is essential understanding the inherent characteristics of the conflict.
Bibliography:
Barkawi, Tarak. 2004. ‘On the Pedagogy of “Small Wars”’.International Affairs (Royal Institute of International Affairs 1944-)80 (1): 19–37.
Shepherd, Laura J. 2009. ‘Gender, Violence and Global Politics: Contemporary Debates in Feminist Security Studies’. Political Studies Review 7 (2): 208–19.
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