Joseph M. Siracusa is Professor in Human Security and International Diplomacy and Discipline Head of Global Studies in the School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning, at RMIT University, Australia where he is a specialist in American politics and global security.

This concise text presents a focused, well-rounded, and clear-eyed introduction to the concept of human security. Questioning the utility of traditional national-security frameworks in the post-Cold War era, Paul Battersby and Joseph M. Siracusa argue that we must urgently reconsider the principle of state sovereignty in a global world where threats to humanity are beyond the capacity of any one nation to address through unilateral action. A welcome alternative to state-centric approaches to security, this balanced book will be a valuable supplement for courses in international and national security.

Introduction
Chapter 1: Globalizing National Security: Envisioning Security beyond the Nation State
Chapter 2: The Alchemy of Peace: Elementary Studies on Humans and Security
Chapter 3: "Black Hawk Down": Mogadishu 1993 and the Costs of Intervention
Chapter 4: Global Webs of Risk: Complex Security in a Globally Networked World
Chapter 5: Human Rights and Human Security: Pragmatic Perspectives on Human Rights
Chapter 6: Averting Nuclear Armageddon: Reality Checks and Nuclear Balances
Chapter 7: Roadmaps and Roadblocks: Securing Humanity in the Twenty-first Century