Since the 1990s, and especially since the attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States and States of the European Union have stepped up efforts to meet the threat of “Islamic terrorism”: tougher legislation, strengthening cooperation against terrorism international, open or clandestine activities often violate international law. And the effects produced by stunning and spectacular deadly bombings have largely inhibited the critical attention of citizens from other threats that most of these initiatives pose to the democracies.
It is this observation was born this collective book, intended for a wide audience. Bringing together contributions from thirty European specialists, academics and journalists, it offers an unrivaled package of information and analysis. They show how the fight against terrorism has become central in the new world geopolitics and political life of democratic states. And how the actors in charge of this struggle (legislators and politicians, magistrates, police and intelligence, military) are shaping a world of military operations, expansion of surveillance, exceptional practices and misinformation.
This book allows us to measure how far the Western democracies to limit freedoms in the name of one of the safety of others. A path also questionable ethically and politically in terms of effectiveness, since cleaving societies, these methods often encourage violence they claim to fight.