Columbia International Affairs Online: Policy Briefs

CIAO DATE: 06/2013

Multilevel approaches to human security and conflict management: The Rohingya case

C.R. Abrar

May 2013

Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies

Abstract

The Rohingyas in Rakhine state, Myanmar, have been categorised by the UN as the most persecuted minority of the world. This brief discusses the plight of the members of the Rohingya community since June 2012 in both Myanmar and neighbouring Bangladesh, where they have been attempting to secure asylum. The case of the Rohingyas highlights the relevance of a widening of the security agenda. The two concepts currently in vogue in security studies – human security and the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) – are operationalised when attempts to explain the turn of events affecting the Rohingyas are made and policy actions for the governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh as well as regional and international agencies are recommended.