National and Human Security Issues in Irregular Migration in the USA: The Cuban Irregular Migration Crisis
Date
2015-02-02
Authors
Vestermark, Christian
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Abstract
National Security and Human Security are two concepts of the larger field of Security that have been and currently remain at odds with each other. On one hand, National Security seeks to uphold the sovereignty of this synthetic idea of the ‘State’, while, on the other hand, Human Security seeks the recognition of the internationally accepted rights of the individual, in any situation, whether the State recognizes them or not. As one can imagine, based on this ongoing division within the field of security, such as issue as migration is subject to just as heated as debate. National Security would state that the protection of the sovereign nation from the effects from the movement of unknown persons is paramount over the rights of the individual. Human Security rejects this notion, arguing that the well-being of the human person should be the primary focus in all matters, whether the action be a legal matter or one of state sovereignty. While the division between these views of security usually results in one taking precedence over the other, the case of Cuban irregular migration to the United States is a unique case. The shared history between the island and the US, be it the Cuban War for Independence or the Bay of Pigs Invasion and subsequent Missile Crisis after, is one wrought with security issues stemming from the field of National Security. The migration crisis, however, spurred on by these events, resulted in a shift in focus from the protection of the state, to the care of the individual. US policy towards Cuba would come to develop a unique focus on Human Security out of a setting that was highly reliant upon the ideals of National Security. This dissertation hopes to use the case of US and Cuban policy development with between National Defense and Cuban Migration to the US to effectively demonstrate that both the principles of National Security and Human Security have a place in policy and can be used effectively without jeopardizing the ideals of either field.
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Keywords
Conflict, Wetfoot; Dryfoot, Human security, Cuba, National security, Irregular migration