NORMS AND ETHICS IN SECURITY PREPAREDNESS

The report examines the normative tensions inherent in security preparedness, identifying ten central ethical problems regarding priorities, responsibilities, and the distribution of costs and benefits. It evaluates these problems through various ethical theories—including consequentialism, contractualism, and deontology—and assesses existing guidelines like the Sendai Framework and Council of Europe principles. The document concludes by proposing a three-part framework to evaluate the ethical legitimacy of specific security policies based on human rights principles.

• The report identifies three distinct rationales for resilience in security preparedness: a threat-based approach focusing on tangible events identified via intelligence; a prediction-based approach using likelihood and effect assessments; and a vulnerability-based approach that prioritises the protection of valuable objects regardless of predictive capacity.
• There is a significant ethical tension in prioritising security resources against other political concerns, as security governance often involves secrecy and coercion that may conflict with democratic ideals and immediate human needs like health and poverty alleviation.
• The report outlines ten core ethical problems in security preparedness, including how to prioritise between different security problems, the division of labour between states and corporations, and the balance of authority between technical experts and the public.
• Different ethical theories provide diverging foundations for security preparedness: consequentialism seeks to maximise aggregate values (like lives saved), contractualism focuses on fair rules agreed upon under a 'veil of ignorance', and deontology emphasises inviolable moral duties regardless of outcome.
• The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 promotes a 'solidarist internationalism' by asserting that while states have primary responsibility, disaster risk reduction is a 'common concern for all States' requiring sustainable international cooperation.
• The Council of Europe’s Principles for Disaster Risk Reduction emphasize that human rights must not be suspended during disasters and advocate for 'equitable sharing' of costs and benefits, specifically prioritising the most vulnerable individuals.
• The report warns against 'digital technocracy' in cybersecurity, where complex technical models may lead to political decisions being made by experts and commercial actors without sufficient democratic oversight or public debate.
• The proposed framework for ethical reflection evaluates security preparedness through three lenses: the ten identified ethical problems, alignment with fundamental human rights principles (such as dignity, freedom, and equality), and legitimacy criteria including legality, necessity, proportionality, and transparency.

APA

Lidén, K., Hayes, B., & Steen, M. (2018). NORMS AND ETHICS IN SECURITY PREPAREDNESS. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/4d698270-31c0-4bdc-b0e7-1c452e066aab/Liden 2018 SOURCE D64 Norms and ethics in security preparedness_.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Lidén, Kristoffer, Ben Hayes, and Marc Steen. NORMS AND ETHICS IN SECURITY PREPAREDNESS. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2018. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/4d698270-31c0-4bdc-b0e7-1c452e066aab/Liden 2018 SOURCE D64 Norms and ethics in security preparedness_.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lidén |first1=Kristoffer |last2=Hayes |first2=Ben |last3=Steen |first3=Marc |title=NORMS AND ETHICS IN SECURITY PREPAREDNESS |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=31 December 2018 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/4d698270-31c0-4bdc-b0e7-1c452e066aab/Liden 2018 SOURCE D64 Norms and ethics in security preparedness_.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lidn2018norms, author = {Lidén, Kristoffer and Hayes, Ben and Steen, Marc}, title = {{NORMS AND ETHICS IN SECURITY PREPAREDNESS}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2018}, month = dec, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/4d698270-31c0-4bdc-b0e7-1c452e066aab/Liden 2018 SOURCE D64 Norms and ethics in security preparedness_.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }