Human Security, State Actor, Cambodia, Indonesia, Southeast Asia

Ta-Wei (David) Chu

Human security has become a popular issue in the realm of international relations, particularly since The Human Develop-ment Report 1994 was published by the United Nations Deve-lopment Programme (UNDP). Some research on the subject has acknowledged that individual states are essential actors in achieving human security. This article considers the context of Southeast Asia and explores the case studies of the Cambodian and Indonesian governments, to address their respective do-mestic human-security issues. To this end, this article considers the modern political histories of Cambodia and Indonesia from a comparative perspective. The article concludes that as a state becomes more democratic its people are likely to have more human security.