I am studying in this workshop this summer:

CARLETON UNIVERSITY CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND SOCIAL POLICY SUMMER SCHOOL 2004 MAY 17 TO JUNE 25

Human Rights and (Over) Reaction in a Security Conscious World

LAWS 4701A

Title: Sovereignty & Security: Balance in an Unbalanced World

Instructor: Chris McNaught

Lessons learned? A post-9/11 Afghanistan-Iraq critical analysis of national and international (over) reaction to the current phenomenon of terror: are we truly ‘fighting terrorism’, or just wounding civil liberties? Already, legal challenges have surfaced to the indefinite incarceration of ‘enemy combatants’ at Guantanamo Bay, the integrity of any related tribunal hearings, the (U.S.) Patriot Act, the (Canada) Anti-Terrorism Act, immigration policies (minister’s certificates, racial profiling); taken with continued bombings (Spain, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan) should we question whether legislative and policy responses were symbolic, short-term political messages rather than effective security measures. Did we/will we compromise or sell out our sovereign identity under such seductions as a ‘North American defence perimeter’ and new versions of Star Wars? Are we any safer than before---who are ‘we’?