Use Of Securitisation Theory And Documentary Analysis

This study will use securitisation theory and documentary analysis to find that increased security from terrorism in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 (9/11) terrorism took precedence over the civil liberties of privacy and freedom. This paper focuses on how the George W. Bush Administration, hereby referred to as the Bush Administration, successfully justified the infringement of civil liberties post-9/11 although it will also include the revelations of Snowden in 2013 and how this impacted on public opinion. Bush used religious discourse following 9/11 to manipulate public opinion and create a â€Å"powerful spirit of unity† (Garfinkle, 2005). Security will be defined as political security, as described by the†¦show more content†¦However, it is often considered in tension with civil liberties such as privacy and freedom (Etzioni, 2005). This debate has been invigorated by 9/11 alongside the law changes and the surveillance program that fo llowed. The wider debate questions whether national security or civil liberties should champion the American way of life, assuming that the two are â€Å"inexorably intertwined† in a trade-off (Obama, 2010). Civil liberties refer to protections against government actions with their derivatives often rooted in the Bill of Rights. Whilst the right to privacy is not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, it can be determined from several amendments, such as the search with â€Å"probable cause† outlined in the Fourth Amendment (U.S. Const. am. 4, 1791). Lynch (2012) would define civil liberties as ‘sacred’ and therefore should never be infringed upon. However, the ‘probable cause’ section was abused using powers granted by PATRIOT Act. It is common consensus among the literature that the PATRIOT Act was overreaching and overused to wrongly justify blanket surveillance. However, the PATRIOT Act also violated the First, Fourth and Fifth Amendments of the Bill of Rights. The First Amendment grants freedom of press (U.S. Const. am. 1, 1791). The Fifth Amendment grants protection to