Chapter 12 Self-test questions

. How is a process of securitization completed?

A process of securitization is when an issue not included in the political sphere becomes politicized and is managed within the political system. A securitized issue is part of public policy requiring governmental action; decision-making, resource allocation, and even communal governance.

A securitizing actor can argue for an issue to be securitized when it is outside of the political domain. An existential threat can be made a matter for state attention even when it is not included within public debate. Securitization refers to the recognition of the threat prior to its emergence in the political process.

Securitization refers to the move of issues from a politicized state to a heightened state of politics beyond the normal political domain of decision-making activities. Once placed above the political sphere it cannot be returned to the public sphere, having been translated into a state interest above normal proceedings.

An issue can be securitized, that is framed as a security question, when it is moved from the politicized to the securitized sphere. During the securitization process, the securitizing actor(s) use discourse to persuade an audience that the issue at hand is one of urgency and priority, and that it presents an existential threat to some referent object.

. Which of the following is not a common criticism of Securitization?

A loose and broad conceptualization of security can lead to vagueness and a lack of conceptual and analytical coherence.

When the securitizing actor is not the state, it can be unclear what would constitute an extraordinary measure.

The model relies on a definition of distinctive political and security realms, which are not always clearly defined.

The theory of securitization lacks coherence in terms of its employment as a tool for analytical studies in security.

. Which of the following statements is not applicable to the Securitization process?

Securitization reveals the power of the securitizing actor.

Where the securitizing actor is a democratic state, the relevant audience is usually the wider population who have the right to reject the speech act.

The adoption of extraordinary measures can retrospectively convince an audience of the existential threat.

Within authoritarian and other undemocratic regimes, the relevant political decision-making is often dominated by the military and political elite.

. What role does language play in the process of securitization?

By articulating an issue using the language of security that issue makes the transition from the discursive political realm to the security realm.

The speech act is the end point of the two-stage process of securitization, at this point the legitimacy of the existential threat is established and the right to employ special measures in addressing the threat is granted to the securitizing actor.

The presentation of an issue as threatening the survival of a referent object is referred to as a speech act. The process of securitization consists of this articulation of the speech act, and accordingly is referred to as a discursive model.

The articulation of an issue as a security threat is referred to as a speech act. This speech act is presented to an audience by a securitizing actor. This actor attempts to convince that audience of the credibility of the issue as an existential threat to a specific referent object. If successful, the audience is convinced and the securitizing actor is granted recourse to legitimately use extraordinary measures in response to the threat.

. In order to become securitized, a threat must be presented in which of these ways?

As an existential threat that requires immediate and extraordinary action, posing a threat to the survival of the state or to societal security.

As requiring immediate and extraordinary action by the state, threatening the survival of a referent object and therefore warranting the use of measures not normally employed in the political realm.

As an urgent threat to the survival of the referent object, so serious that it legitimizes the employment of extraordinary action in response.

As an urgent threat to the survival of the audience that requires extraordinary or emergency measures.

. Which of the following is an important reason to advocate the process of desecuritization?

To prevent the erosion of established civil liberties through the removal of special rights and the cessation of extraordinary measures.

To prevent stagnation of the security realm and facilitate the recognition and securitization of new or more urgent existential threats.

To prevent the securitization of irrelevant threats and to challenge the legitimacy of currently securitized threats.

To ensure that securitizing actors conceptualize security threats in terms of those that can be addressed using extraordinary measures.

. When may an issue fail to become securitized?

When the general public is not convinced of the legitimacy of the proposed threat.

When, following the discursive element of the process, extraordinary measures are not implemented.

When the securitizing actor is not granted the special right to implement extraordinary measures.

When the audience are convinced via the speech act or the securitizing actor but fail to grant that actor the special rights requested in order to address the proposed threat.

. Which of these statements defines the Copenhagen School's view of security?

Security is a socially constructed concept, relative to the society in which it exists, and what will constitute an existential threat is accordingly subjective.

Security is best defined using the traditional paradigm, with the state as the referent object to be secured using extraordinary measures where possible.

To best understand security one must adopt a constructivist approach, threats exist only when articulated by a wider audience and may warrant the implementation of emergency measures.

Security exists as an empirically verifiable and independent condition that changes only slightly, if at all, with regards to the social context in which it is applied.

. Which of these statements is commonly regarded as a tangible benefit of the securitization process?

Securitizing injects urgency into an issue and leads to a sustained mobilization of political support and deployment of resources.

Securitization encourages more efficient handling of complex problems.

Securitization mobilizes popular support for policies in specific areas by calling them security relevant and encourages the allocation of more resources.

All of the above.

. How can extraordinary measures be defined as 'special' or extraordinary?

Where the state employs the use of force or violence this can be regarded as an extraordinary measure.

Those measures taken as a response to a securitized existential threat can be defined as extraordinary.

Those measures that exist outside the usual paradigm of the political realm.

All of the above.

Chapter 12 Self-test questions

Quiz Content