Security and the Return of Politics

Vivienne Jabri addressed the issue of what happens to politics when fear, emergency and insecurity come to the centre of the political discourse.

Dealing with the UK context, Jabri pointed out how there has been not much public debate until the new laws on terrorism and prosecution entered into force, provoking lots of media involvement and challenging human rights and the concept of state of emergency. New control orders on people for example may now entail no access to internet or other forms of external communication, as well as compulsory electronic bracelets that trace movements and prohibition from receiving visit without preventing the police.

Another British insecurity paranoia, concerns the so called ASBOs (Anti Social Behaviour Orders), whose aim is to repress small anti-social activities such as children or neighbours disturbing the peace. Their use is impressively increasing, augmenting control possibilities over people.

At this stage Jabri introduced Foucault’s concept of «Biopolitics». According to the latter, control associated with security should affect the population as a whole, presenting the tendency of depoliticizing security. Political rationality is indeed suspected of insecurity. Biopolitics therefore individualizes the political discourse, incrementing the responsibility for self protection and security.

There is therefore a considerable need for reinstating political rationality of the State, in order to respond to the present uncontrolled situation. Hence: State matters. A clear sign of political rationality of resistance to the establishment and the technocratic control has been recently given by the public opinions of some Member States as a clear signal of the willing to come back to political rationality.

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