Reconstituting ‘Human Security’ in a New Security Environment: One Australian, Two Canadians and Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Abstract

This article explores a controversial claim by the Commonwealth Attorney General that counter-terrorism legislation is justified by reference to the obligations of governments to ensure their citizens’ human security, which, in turn, is suggested to flow from article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). As the title suggests, the article focuses upon and analyses the views of the Attorney-General (the one Australian) and two Canadians influential in the field of human security, as the Attorney-General’s particular assertions regarding human security and human rights have been articulated and advanced by citing the writings of these two Canadians, Irwin Cotler and Louise Arbour.