A Layman’s Look at Collective Security

Jorge Dominguez currently focuses on his work in comparative politics and international relations in Latin America. Until his retirement in 2018, he served Harvard University since 1972 as a professor as well as director and chair of various departments. Among Jorge Dominguez's achievements is his involvement in the World Peace Foundation as a member of the Steering Committee for the project on Collective Securities in the Americas.

Collective security is the term used for different states' collective efforts to attempt to prevent or mitigate wars. The expression was first coined in the 1930s. In a collective security arrangement, the security of every member state becomes a concern for all member states. As a result, all member states act together to deal with the threat.

Collective security is considered to be the most viable approach in order to achieve international peace, as it is designed to protect not just one state but all states part of the agreement. The United Nations and League of Nations were both founded on the collective security principle.