Context analysis and securitization

Often, context analysis is not seen as much more than simply providing a background on the history, politics and economics of a region. These elements definitely constitute key elements. However, a context analysis that is supposed to form the basis of decision- making in volatile humanitarian crises needs to be empirically and theoretically sound. This is why the NOHA Groningen team developed, among other tools, a comprehensive context analysis tool based on theories of security studies such as Securitization Theory and Human Security. In this chapter, we introduce the Comprehensive Context Analysis (CCA) as a tool and explain the history and theory behind it. The theoretical foundation is based on the Copenhagen School of Security Studies as well as research on threat- perception and decision- making heuristics. Furthermore, we introduce the idea of levels of analysis in comprehensive context analysis.