- Research -

CAHS works with the Center for unconventional Security Affairs to support and undertake innovative research on pressing real world human security issues. Recently completed and current research projects include a study of the social effects of landmines; a comparative study of resource scarcity, property rights and acute violence in four countries of South Asia; a study of the linkages between climate change and the genocidal violence in Darfur; a study of the human security challenges facing vulnerable women; a study of the linkages among microfinance, sustainable development and security; and a study of environmental peacemaking efforts. You can learn more about our research programs below.

- Landmines and Human Security -

Around the world, over 60 million landmines deny people access to the land they need in order to survive. Under these conditions, people often turn to political violence and crime. Humanitarian efforts to rehabilitate landmine survivors, restore mined land, and put an end to the excessive and indiscriminate use of landmines contribute to human security and sharply reduce the attraction of forms of political violence and crime that threaten the interests and national security of America and its allies. CUSA's research on this topic has resulted in an edited volume, Landmines and Human Security, and has shown that humanitarian efforts, such as landmine clearance and victim assistance, can be low cost, high impact strategies to promote peace and prosperity.

The global movement to address the problem of landmines, which originated in the United States, has attracted broad support from every quarter of the world, including many well known figures such as Her Majesty Queen Noor and Princess Diana. In this process, Lady Heather Mills McCartney’s voluntary leadership and work over the past eleven years in the campaign to rid the world of landmines and help victims of landmines has made a difference in the security and lives of many individuals.

Learn more about our esearch on Landmines...

 - Women and Human Security -

CAHS has begun a new research project on Women and Human Security. A symposium with speakers from around the world was held at the University of California, Irvine on November 4, 2005. Presentations at this symposium will be produced in an upcoming edited volume on Women and Human Security.

Why focus on Women and Human Security?

While both men and women suffer due to poverty, violence and human rights violations, these threats are not experienced in the same way by both genders. Women are faced with a unique set of challenges, not only as mothers, wives and caretakers, but also as a group facing limited education, health care and independence. The oppression and devaluation of women makes them targets for abuse and brutality, in times of both conflict and peace. The World Bank estimates that, across the globe, violence against women is comparable to cancer as a cause of death and incapacity. Of particular concern today is the rapid growth of women as perpetrators of violence. While the reasons women turn to terrorism and crime vary, in many cases they are responding to conditions of misery and suffering that offer no other opportunities for betterment. However, an important countervailing force is the vitality, persistence, and imagination women have demonstrated –often with little external support or capital—in organizing to combat poverty, violence, and coercion.

- Microfinance, Human Security and Sustainable Development -

The microfinance industry arose in the 1970s to assist those too poor to qualify for services from traditional banks, and inadequately served by government programs. The initial goal was to provide small loans to help start up or expand small businesses. It might seem that the poorest people in the world would pose an insurmountable risk to lenders, but, through a series of carefully-conceived measures, this strategy has been extremely effective. Indeed, by 2004, some 92 million clients had been served by over 3,000 microfinance institutions.

These numbers have attracted considerable attention. In recent years there has been a surge of interest in microfinance services on the part of government, the private sector and the non-profit community. This interest is driven by evidence demonstrating that microfinance services (MFS) are successful across a range of objectives. In particular, MFS are widely seen as constituting an economically sound and profitable approach to poverty alleviation, economic growth, community empowerment and capacity building.

The interest has raised a number of questions. Can MFS be linked to other humanitarian agendas such as human rights, conservation and post-conflict reconstruction? Given that 92 million clients have been served over a thirty year period, are broader social and environmental effects discernible?

This study will examine the relationships among microfinance, human security and sustainable development. It will fill a gap in our understanding of microfinance services, and be of direct and immediate interest to lenders, the sustainable development community, and those looking for effective and positive approaches to countering recruitment into terrorism and crime.

Learn more about this project...

- Genocide and Human Security -

Throughout history there have been attempts to systematically eradicate entire peoples.

The victims of genocide are often, but not always, groups that are well-defined by geography, culture and history. They are inevitably much less powerful than their aggressors, and thus they have great difficulty in defending themselves. In the early stages of genocide, the victims are likely to be segregated physically, marginalized in the workplace, stripped of legal protection, denied government services, and left exposed to disease, poverty and harassment. The outburst of violence they ultimately face is carefully prepared and organized, and its perpetrators often have undergone special training.

In spite of its long history, the term “genocide” was coined only in 1944, by the legal scholar Raphael Lemkin, to name the brutality of the Holocaust (from genos, Greek for “family or tribe,” and cideo, Latin for “to massacre”). Dr. Lemkin and many others seized the opportunity afforded by the end of World War II to rally and institutionalize a global commitment to prevent and punish the crime of genocide.

Learn more about our work on Genocide...

- Research on Human Security -

CUSA is committed to undertaking high quality research that involves social and natural scientists to address the pressing security challenges of the 21st century. The Center for Unconventional Security Affairs has a legacy of successful activities related to our research projects on human security, including:

Outreach on Human Security Issues

Beyond high quality research, CUSA is also committed to creating forum s where members of our community can learn about critical issues. As an example, during 2001-2002, we partnered with local organizations to host a series of three workshops on the causes and consequences of 9/11, especially with regard to Afghanistan.

Education on Human Security Issues

CUSA's educational component includes training programs for security professionals and first responders as well as degree programs at the graduate level. Our Master's and Doctoral Programs are interdisciplinary and weave together perspectives from the social and natural sciences. In recent years we have developed and offered courses on:

For more information about CAHS, or to learn how you can become a supporter, please contact us.

Center for Unconventional Security Affairs
University of California, Irvine
Social Ecology I
Irvine, CA 92697-7075
Phone: (949) 824-8804
E-mail: cusa@uci.edu