ISBN-13: 9780415456753 / Angielski / Twarda / 2009 / 198 str.
ISBN-13: 9780415456753 / Angielski / Twarda / 2009 / 198 str.
This book is an analysis and critique of the concepts of 'exception' and 'exceptionalism' in the context of the politics of liberty and security in the so-called 'War on Terror'. Since the destruction of the World Trade Centre on September 11th 2001, a notable transformation has occurred in political discourse and practice. Politicians and commentators have frequently made the argument that the rules of the game have changed, that this is a new kind of war, and that exceptional times require exceptional measures. Under this discourse of exceptionalism, an array of measures have been put into practice, such as detention without trial, 'extraordinary rendition', derogations from human rights law, sanction or connivance in torture, the curtailment of civil liberties, and aggressive war against international law. Situating exceptionalism within the post-9/11 controversy about the relationship between liberty and security, this book argues that the problem of exceptionalism emerges from the limits and paradoxes of liberal democracy itself. It is a commentary and critique of both contemporary practices of exceptionalism and the critical debate that has formed in response. Through a detailed assessment of the key theoretical contributions to the debate, this book develops exceptionalism as a critical tool. It also engages with the problem of exceptionalism as a discursive claim, as a strategy, as a concept, as a theoretical problem and as a practice. This is the first book to capture the importance of the exceptionalism debate in a single volume, and will be of much interest to students of critical security studies, political philosophy, IR theory and sociology.
This book is an analysis and critique of the concepts of ‘exception’ and ‘exceptionalism’ in the context of the politics of liberty and security in the so-called ‘War on Terror’.
‘Exceptionalism’ encompasses an array of illiberal policies and practices that are legitimated through claims about necessary exceptions to the norm. These range from the securitization of immigration and asylum to the ‘extraordinary rendition’ of ‘terrorist suspects’ to third countries widely believed to practice torture.
This book is particularly concerned with the legitimating and critical possibilities of the exceptionalism discourse. As such, it seeks to understand the reasons the resurgence of the ideas of Carl Schmitt, whose arguments sharply express those being made by politicians, security agents and certain commentators: that exceptional times require exceptional measures; that certain norms, right and laws must be suspended or ignored; and that executive power must be freed from constitutional restraints. Situating exceptionalism within the post-9/11 controversy about the relationship between liberty and security, the book argues that the problem emerges from the limits and paradoxes of liberal democracy itself.