Community Security: Rethinking policy and strategy for modern security challenges

Evidence from the past two decades has shown that unchecked instability in conflict-affected and fragile contexts has the potential to affect the national security of Western states directly, including the US. However, while the complex nature of these security challenges and the need for an appropriately conflict-sensitive response is recognized at the policy level by major international stakeholders including the US, operational implementation is failing to keep pace with these commitments.

This briefing advocates for reprioritizing US security policy and operations towards a community security approach, empowering communities to articulate their security concerns and supporting  appropriate state and non-state security responses. This approach, which places a premium on strategic flexibility and strengthening the dynamics that will be critical to long-term stabilization, such as democratic accountability, participation, and transparency, alongside technical and operational capacity, builds trust between the community and the state, helps strengthen the responsiveness and accountability of formal institutions to the populations they serve, and ultimately contributes to improving the legitimacy of state actors in the eyes of the people.

Click here to read more about Saferworld's community security work.

“The US National Security Strategy should explicitly prioritize civilian, development, and diplomatic measures as the core strategic pillar of sustainable security...”

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