WHAT IS THIRD WORLD SECURITY?

This paper examines three images of the Third World (postcolonial, nonaligned, and less developed states) and four types of security (international, transnational, regional, and internal) on three continents (Asia, Africa, and Latin America). In the first image, the Third World is defined by a postcolonial racial divide between the former European colonial powers and their decolonized empires. The second image of the Third World is the lingering legacy of the Non-Aligned Movement, which comprised the states outside of the American and Soviet blocs. The third image is that of the less developed world and the continuing struggle between rich and poor, both among and within states. The four forms of security—international, transnational, regional, and internal—encompass interstate conflicts; civil wars, revolutions, and their spillover effects; nationalism and interethnic conflict and the prospect of failed states; the spread of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons; transnational terrorism; the illicit narcotics trade; and perceived negative consequences of globalization.