Seone Perez Francisco

This author's articles

• Round Table on Ethics and Security : Security as an exceptional realm within a democratic polity

  31 January 2007
  The current popular discomfort with decisions regarding security reminds us of an intrinsic paradox in our democratic systems. In order to be deemed democratic, a state or a polity must be guided by the will of the people. However, following Weber, a state can only guarantee the freedom and liberty of its constituents if it retains the monopoly of violence. The global scope of contemporary terrorism, one of the most evident incarnations of private violence, is what explains in part the political claims made by governments inter alia to justify the resort to secrecy and confidentiality among governments across Europe and the world.

• Challenge Round table: Lack of accountability in security policies undermines EU legitimacy

  31 January 2007
  Biometric controls and other e-security applications are being implemented across the European Union by its member states and border management agencies. Scholars gathered by the Jean Monnet European Centre of Excellence at the University of Leeds to discuss the balance between security and liberty in the age of global terrorism concluded that there is an urgent need to make governments accountable for the use (and potential misuse) of biometric technologies if trust in e-security is to be gained among the citizenry.