Page 5 - Empowerment and Protection - Conclusions Chapter

politicisation of security instruments, leaves citizens vulnerable to violence from non-state actors or the state itself.
The rule of law protects citizens against external threats, such as organised and petty crime, and against internal threats from the arbitrary use of state power against its own citizens.
People’s experiences of the state vary considerably according to the state’s capacity and structure, and the identity and histories of communities living under it. The following section outlines four types of governance contexts reflected in the respondent stories: a newly formed democratic constitutional system, transitional states, indigenous communities within states, and statelessness. In each of these contexts, we see the paradoxical role of the state in both ensuring and undermining human security.
A newly formed democratic constitutional system: Afghanistan
The importance of an existing state and justice system is most evident in Afghanistan, where
many respondents refer to the newly established democratic constitutional system and functioning government as an important source of security. As an NGO worker in Kabul notes, “The factor that contributes to my sense of security is the presence of a government, even if it’s weak. A few years ago we didn’t even have a government.” Specifically, the legal system is seen as an important guarantor of security – while the courts and police are unreliably effective or protective, their presence contributes to a sense of security.
The new democratic constitutional system exists alongside a political order that many respondents see as a source of insecurity. Many citizens express scepticism that political leaders or security forces
are serving the population, referring to self-interest and political dynamics. The contrast between
the security derived from a system of law versus the insecurity from unaccountable leaders and weak governance was most clearly stated by a respondent in Kabul who felt that: “The current government is the most important driver of my insecurity because it is a collection of warlords. I fear this country will go back to the old times. But the presence of a system in Afghanistan makes me feel secure [...] now there is a system in place for everything even though it doesn’t work.” While the presence of a new system is better than a total lack of governance, its incomplete application is a source of insecurity.
The ability of the government to provide protection against direct violence remains a key source of citizen security or insecurity. Those who do not feel protected by the government will seek physical protection where they can find it. According to another respondent, people were often heard saying that life under the Taliban regime, though it was difficult, was physically safer.
Citizens in Afghanistan highlight the central
role that the existence of a state plays in their experiences of security. Most essentially, citizens refer to the rule of law and provision of physical protection as the basis for their perceptions of security or insecurity. When political leaders and security forces are not accountable to the law, ordinary people are more vulnerable.
Rule of law: Ukraine and Mexico
In Ukrainea and Mexico, two states with a history of one-party rule, people’s concerns about insecurity stem largely from a perceived lack of state ability or political will to establish and enforce the rule of law. The rule of law protects citizens against external threats, such as organised and petty crime, and against internal threats from the arbitrary use of state power against its own citizens.
In Ukraine, respondents in late 2013 described weak rule of law as a key source of insecurity.
A lack of police accountability resulted in lax enforcement of laws, impunity, and rising crime. A majority of Kyiv respondents reported high crime
a Interviews were conducted in Kyiv and the Crimean capital of Simferopol in the period preceding and during escalating street protests that resulted in the removal of Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych.
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