Boomerang Effect: the Convergence of National and Human Security

Abstract Partly as a result of the 11 September 2001 attacks on Washington and New York, policy decisions and future choices may well be driven by a blurring of concerns that involve state-centric security (in which military forces have traditionally been the best form of protection) and human security (in which instruments other than the military may prove the primary means of protection). The implications for the analyst and policymaker are tremendous. We may be witnessing a 'boomerang effect' in which we must focus on both national and human security and yet realize that excessive focus on one aspect of security at the expense or detriment of the other may well cause us to be 'boomeranged' by a poor balancing of ends and means in a changing security environment.