War on Freedom & Democracy
Essays on Civil Liberties in Europe

Edited by Tony Bunyan
December 2006
Spokesman
Distributed by
ISBN: 9780851247236          
166 pages, 5 7/8 x 8 1/4"
$33.50 Paper Original

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The ‘war on terror’ has continued with no end in sight in the years since the attacks on the United States on 9-11.  It permeates the institutions of the body politic in Europe, sacrificing liberty and freedoms in the name of a constructed ‘politics of fear’ and demands for security.  We have learnt that the greatest threat to ‘our way of life’ and democracy comes not from terrorism but from our governments’ reaction to it. 

The emergency measures that at first were presented as ‘exceptional’ are now the norm.  European Union leaders claim the measures adopted (or proposed) ‘balance’ the demands of security and civil liberties.  They are needed to protect ‘our way of life’ and the ‘core values’ of the European Union.  If the swathe of measures brought forward in response to 9-11 represent the ‘core values’ of the European Union, then many will say ‘not in our name’.  These essays were prepared for the launch of the European Civil Liberties Network in October 2005.  The passage of time since then has served to emphasize the relevance of the issues raised and the analyses provided.

Political Science

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