Identity politics refers to political movements or claims based on shared parts of who people are—like ethnicity, religion, race, gender, or culture. These collective identities shape how individuals see their place in society and how they relate to the state. As Martha Ackelsberg (1996) explains, identity politics often emerges when people demand recognition for communities that have been ignored or misrepresented in mainstream politics. In our global, interconnected world, such movements can promote fairness and belonging—but if manipulated, they can also fuel division and distrust.
Protecting identity isn’t only a moral responsibility; it’s also essential for national security. Dereck Reveron and Kathleen Mahoney-Norris (2020) point out that globalization has amplified ethnic and cultural mobilization, forcing governments to confront what happens when identity fractures along social or political lines. When people feel left out of national stories or excluded from opportunity, they’re more likely to become vulnerable to radicalization or misinformation that plays on resentment. Richard Maass (2023) makes a similar argument, noting that racialization—the process by which societies attach political and security meaning to race or ethnicity—directly affects domestic legitimacy and even shapes foreign policy behavior. In short, identity isn’t just part of the security equation; it’s the ground it stands on.
One practical way to make identity politics constructive is by ensuring inclusive representation in policymaking, especially in national security institutions. That means agencies in defense, intelligence, and law enforcement should reflect the diversity of the people they serve. When leadership mirrors the public, it builds trust and helps those institutions understand social tensions before they escalate. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP 1994) emphasized that long-term peace depends on participation and inclusion, and later research supports this. For instance, Alrasheed et al. (2025) found that governments that involve citizens through multiple levels of governance tend to be more resilient and less prone to extremist recruitment or ethnic polarization.
Another step is to promote identity literacy through civic education and digital awareness. Social media has become a major battleground for identity politics, and it’s easy for misinformation to manipulate emotions or pit groups against one another. Teaching people to spot and question that manipulation can be a real form of defense. Understanding our own identities—and respecting others’—builds empathy and strengthens social trust. Kaufmann (1996) suggested that managing diversity through thoughtful institutions, not coercion, is the key to defusing ethnic conflict. Identity literacy helps achieve that by turning difference into dialogue rather than division.
In the end, identity politics doesn’t have to threaten security. When inclusion and understanding guide policy, identity can actually become a nation’s greatest strength. Societies that invest in representation, education, and empathy are not just more stable, they’re more legitimate. As polarization grows around the world, protecting identity isn’t a side issue. It’s central to protecting democracy itself.
References
Ackelsberg, Martha A. "Identity Politics, Political Identities: Thoughts Toward a Multicultural Politics." Frontiers 16, no. 1 (1996): 87. http://ezproxy.bellevue.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/identity-politics-political-identities-thoughts/docview/232316836/se-2.
Alrasheed RA, Al-Shamli KAS, Benabdallah AK, Abed Al-Ameri IM and Elshorbagy N (2025) The role of identity in a multilevel interdependence in international relations: exploring popular understandings of international politics. Front. Polit. Sci. 7:1595969. doi: 10.3389/fpos.2025.1595969
Kaufmann, Chaim. “Possible and Impossible Solutions to Ethnic Civil Wars.” International Security 20, no. 4 (March 1, 1996): 136. doi:10.2307/2539045.
Maass, Richard W. “Racialization and International Security.” International Security 48, no. 2 (September 1, 2023): 91–126. doi:10.1162/isec_a_00470.
Reveron, D.S., & Mahoney-Norris, K.A. (2018). Human and National Security: Understanding Transnational Challenges (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429503726
UNDP (United Nations Development Programme). 1994. Human Development Report 1994: New Dimensions of Human Security. New York.