Includes bibliographical references and index.

Two schools of thought now exist in security studies: traditionalists want to restrict the subject to politico-military issues; while wideners want to extend it to the economic, societal and environmental sectors. This book sets out a comprehensive statement of the new security studies, establishing the case for the broader agenda. The authors argue that security is a particular type of politics applicable to a wide range of issues. Answering the traditionalists charge that this model makes the subject incoherent, they offer a constructivist operational method for distinguishing the process of securitization from that of politicization. Their approach incorporates the traditionalist agenda and dissolves the artificial boundary between security studies and international political economy, opening the way for a fruitful interplay between the two fields. It also shows how the theory of regional security complexes remains relevant in today's world.