The Empire of Security and the Safety of the People

This new volume explores the meaning of security in relation to, and in the context of, ideas that are fundamental to both international and domestic political order. William Bain argues that the word "security" is devoid of substantive content when divorced from ideas such as sovereignty, war, diplomacy, self-determination, globalization, cultural diversity, intervention, and trusteeship. In other words, "security" cannot be made to yield a real core or an intrinsic content because it discloses no essence that awaits discovery. This clear and accessible book draws on an impressive range of history, philosophy, and law to investigate these and other questions: - What is the relationship between the ethics of security and the legal institution of state sovereignty? Does security necessarily follow from the mutual recognition of identity? - Are all states, great and small, of equal moral weight? - Does the enjoyment of security require cultural homogeneity? - Is the body of international law that addresses question of intervention still relevant in the new circumstances of a post September 11 world? - How might security be understood in light of wars that are fought in order to kill rather than to achieve known political aims? This book will be of particular interest to those conducting empirical and normative research on questions of security. This is also an excellent resource for students to develop an understanding of security in contemporary world affairs.