Ph.D Nguyen Viet Linh
Department of Foreign Relations
MPS of Vietnam
In the resolution of the Party’s XII Congress, when mentioning the tasks of strengthening military security, leadersemphasized that “proactively preventing, defeating all plots, sabotaging activities of enemies and be ready to face with non-traditional security threats globally, not to be passive and surprised in every situation”.
Non-traditional security is a new phrase, it was launched officially in “ASEAN-CHINA joint statement on cooperation in the field of non-traditional security”, approved in the ASEAN-CHINA Summit in Phnom Penh (Cambodia) on November 1st 2002. They are transnational organized crime issues, especially terrorism and drug crime threatening regional and global security, simultaneously creating new challengesto the peace and the stability inside and outside the region. Also in this statement, ASEAN and China leaders expressed “the concern on non-traditional security issues is raising dramatically such as sumggling,drug, woman and children trafficking, piracy, terrorism, weapon smuggling, money laundering, international economic and cyber crime”.
The above opinions however are not similar, but they have one common point which is to define non-traditional security issues to compare and make the difference with traditional security issue. Nevertheless, in the era of globalization and deep international integrity, the relationships and fields of social life stick closer and affect together, the separation of which is traditional security and which is non-traditional security is only relative because of the overlapping contents. For example, the crisis, the lack of natural resource, fuel source, especially energy and petroleum… led to conflicts in contesting for resource, and in some cases, weapons have been used to find the winner. Cyber crime penetrates and attacks many targets in the world, gains access to database system of many companies, corporations, international organizations, governmental agencies to steal data, records, intellectual properties, national secrets…The damage resulted by this type of crime not only violates the economy seriously but also challenges national security. To face with this threat, there are new definitions and fields created in the world, such as “cyber armed race”, “cyber crime prevention ally”… to gain the initiative in “cyber world”. Or, the political changes, conflicts, riots which have resulted in recent coup d’états in some countries in North Africa and Middle East, began from the calls delivered from social networks. People talked about phrases: “internet social revolution”, “revolution from internet” as outstanding features of fluctuating and riotous movements.
Actually, non-traditional security is a new security view. Its essence is the transnational issue resulted by non-political and non-military factor, directly impacts, even threatens the development and stability of one country, other countries, even the region or the whole world.
Non-traditional security definition with its detailed contents, clearly has “move” characteristic, and, with its time, its comprehension can continue to extend more and more. Therefore, it is not accidental for the ways to question non-traditional security issue of countries, regions and communities havecertain differences. The integrity of any detailed issues in comprehension of non-traditional security as well as the above awareness all have relative meaning, in order to plan, establish security policy and strategy of the country and bilateral security commitment in certain international cooperation and connection.
According to the analysis of international scholars, the features of non-traditional security are indicated in 5 contents:
– Violation or non-violation (having violation but it is non-military violation activities such as terrorism, drug smuggling, organized crime, non-traditional security, etc.).
– Having transnational characteristic, importantly impact the relationship between countries, regions and in the world.
– Directly threatening national, regional and global security; to stability and social life of countries’ people, even though the methods, levels, times and consequences are different.
– Together impacting and affecting.
– Potential accumulation, pervasion and strong outbreak.
The non-traditional security threats: global challenges. There is one point to emphasize, not until now that many issues called threats to non-traditional security, such as food price rises highly, climate change, disaster and epidemic diseases, result in people’s confusion on their stability and perish. Mankind history has experienced hunger period, terrible diseases taking life of million of people. However, in the context of exploding modern technology science revolution, strong globalization makes geographical border become “softer”, easier to cross; internet creates “cyber world” with global informative avenues, totally no border. Alongside with this is the destrustion of people with nature, environment; economic development lacking of control, following basic profits and interests; affection of extreme political idea, the corruption and degeneration of human… made the issue called non-traditional security today become worse, more complicated and have better scale. The impact scale of this issue crossed the territory’s border and national security interest of one country. The global financial crisis in 2008, started from the United States of America, quickly spreaded to many countries, brought the universal economy to degeneration, it is an example. The environmental issue, the lack of natural resources, clean water source, climate change issue, the rise of sea level… sometimes threaten more to the people’s life in the countries which are not the “culprits” led to those changes and lacks. Criminal activities, international terrorism, especially terrorism by biological, chemical weapons, diseases… have inter-border scale. Therefore, the non-traditional security threats have become global challenges.
The risk of non-traditional security threats not only indicates in damaging level, their destructions to people’s life, but also creates challenges to social stability, the community’s perishability, actual effectiveness of international cooperation and integrity; even creates military security issues. The natural disasters, earthquakes, tsunamis, storms, floods, diseases, lack of natural resources… have challenges more and more the achievement of science, modern technique and people’s capability and effort. Terrorism, transnational crime, cyber crime, financial issues, energy security, food security… are extremely challenging executive ability of governments, stability of political institutions and economy countries, even with the wealthiest countries as well as the possibility, sustainability of international connection.
Currently, the non-traditional security issues have overpassed the national security benefit scale of one nation and have become global challenges because activities of transnational crime, international terrorism especially terrorism by biological and chemical weapons, diseases have “no border”. Therefore, the struggle against these issues asks for the mutual effort of international community, solutions and harmonious steps combined between economy, politics, diplomacy, legislation, science-engineering and other fields.
For recent years, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other Ministries, departments of our country have actively extended foreign relations, strengthened the cooperation with security, police agencies of other countries in struggle against terrorism, preventing and suppressing transnational crime; reseached “non-traditional security” issues and created the legal corridor, established cooperation mechanism with regional and international countries and all 5 countries which are permanent members of United Nations Security Council, signed many documents in cooperation in preventing and suppressing crimes; participated in cooperation programs on non-traditional security; concentrated on cooperation and coordination relations between Ministerial conference on preventing and suppressing transnational crime and competent agencies of ASEAN in preventing and suppressing terrorism activities especially finding struggling measures with terrorism activities, assistance on infrastructure, financial assistance and transferring crime to judge; strengthening border control, managing closely immigration to detect and prevent terrorism suspects and other crimes with intention to penetrate Vietnam.
Vietnam and ASEAN members insist central role of ASEAN in regional structure shaping, indicating clearly strong efforts in establishing ASEAN Community in 2015 and deepen relationships with other countries. Many ASEM members shared Vietnam’s recommendation on methods to strengthen the peace, security and development in the region against recent complicated situations, in which maintaining safety and security on sea. Vietnam also requested ASEM to increase the cooperation in dealing with non-traditional security challenges, especially climate change forecast and early inform with disaster, rescue and decrease slightly affection of climate change to agricultureand ecological environment, create information network and coordinate to maintain safety and security on sea, assist in regional and sub-regional cooperation of members, especially sustainable development programs, eradicate hunger and alleviate poverty and narrow down the development distance…
To deal with the non-traditional security threats, we need to conduct many simultaneous and comprehensive measures:
– Firstly, we need to manage clearly the Party’s view: “The stability and sustainable development in all fields of economical-social life is the solid base of military-security”. Therefore, sustainable development, maintaining social security, implementing social fair, eradicating hunger, alleviating poverty, developing culture, education, science-technology, taking care for people’s physical, spiritual and healthy life, strengthening military and security… are basic issues to create solid base to deal with non-traditional security threats.
– Raising awareness for all people’s classes to protect fatherland according to the demand of new era. Managing and educating target deeply, the mission of protecting fatherland according to the spirit of Congress XII of Party for all the society, especially for officers, party members. Organising to research non-traditional security threatssystematically andcomprehensively; strengthening propaganda, exchanging information on security and military threats. Raising awareness and consciousness on social responsibility, community responsibility of governmental levels, of political-social organizations, associations and people classes in tackling non-traditional security threats, in doing the military-security mission and protecting socialist fatherland.
– Extending foregin relations, “actively cooperating with countries, regional and international organizations in dealing with non-traditional security challenges, especially climate change;…”; strengthening the cooperation with countries and international organizations, security and police agencies of countries in non-traditional security issue, struggling to prevent terrorism, preventing and suppressing transnational crime; creating legal corridor, establishing cooperation mechanism with regional and international countries, with related international organizations; concerning in increasing coopreation relationship with ASEAN countries in dealing with non-traditional security threats, especially in preventing and suppressing transnational crime, terrorism, maintaining marine security, dealing with climate change situation, natural disaster, with appropriate programs, plans and mechanism.
