Review article

SECURITY SERVICES IN DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY

Mirko Bilandžić ; Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

“Democracy provides an environment in which the protection of basic human rights is best guaranteed.” (Our Global Neighborhood: The report of the Commission on Global Governance, New York 1998). A comparative analysis of available data on state security services of several European states and the US points to the fundamental theoretical tenets concerning the role and the functioning of these services in democratic environment. Since their beginnings, these agencies have been the chief instrument in national security protection. Historically, in various states and in different periods, the unique mission of security services – the protection of national security – has not included uniformity of content. Among other things, this is largely due to a lack of an unequivocal definition of the concept of national security and a miscellany of “perceptions” by the ruling structures of certain states. This is why security services in totalitarian regimes, in the name of protecting “national security”, have violated human rights. Due to their specific role within national security systems, security services restrict certain rights of certain individuals and organisations even in democratic societies. However, democratic societies are characterised by the fact that security services operate strictly within the law and that such violations are minimal. In other words, in democratic states, security services violate some civil rights in order to protect the key sections of national security, democratic society, and community rights.

Keywords

Hrčak ID:

31214

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/31214

Publication date:

6.12.1999.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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