Homeland Security as an American Ideology: Implications for U.S. Policy and Action
-
Annette D Beresford
"Homeland security" was a familiar term on Capital Hill before September 2001. Congressional documents show that the U.S. was referred to as "the homeland" as early as 1995, and the term "homeland security" was used extensively by 1998. After September 2001, however, the idea of homeland security (HLS) became a part of American thinking and behavior, and, arguably, an American ideology. Some of the implications of a HLS ideology are explored in this paper, using as a model Slavoj Zizek's "reconstruction of ideology." The analysis suggests that assertions associated with "homeland" and "security" have served as a basis for U.S. policy and action in a way that has obstructed the American imagination and excluded social and political alternatives that more closely reflect American aspirations. By redefining ideology as reflexive ideology, however, it may be possible to overcome these limitations and redefine the ways in which a belief system is developed and used.
©2011 Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Research Article
- Homeland Security as an American Ideology: Implications for U.S. Policy and Action
- Adaptive Two-Player Hierarchical Holographic Modeling Game for Counterterrorism Intelligence Analysis
- How Much Is Enough: Real-Time Detection and Identification of Biological Weapon Agents
- Communication/News
- Protecting Soft Targets - the JW Marriott Jakarta Case Study
- Book Review
- First to Arrive: State and Local Responses to Terrorism
- Terrorism, Freedom, and Security: Winning Without War
- Chaos Organization and Disaster Management
- Introduction to Natural and Man-Made Disasters and Their Effects on Buildings
- Terrorism: Biological, Chemical, and Nuclear. Clinics in Occupational and Environmental Medicine
- Related Research Article
- Related Research in Other Publications
- Letter to the Editor
- Comments on the Transportation of Highly Radioactive Waste: Implications for Homeland Security
- Reply from K. Rogers to L. Sattler's Letter to Editor
Articles in the same Issue
- Research Article
- Homeland Security as an American Ideology: Implications for U.S. Policy and Action
- Adaptive Two-Player Hierarchical Holographic Modeling Game for Counterterrorism Intelligence Analysis
- How Much Is Enough: Real-Time Detection and Identification of Biological Weapon Agents
- Communication/News
- Protecting Soft Targets - the JW Marriott Jakarta Case Study
- Book Review
- First to Arrive: State and Local Responses to Terrorism
- Terrorism, Freedom, and Security: Winning Without War
- Chaos Organization and Disaster Management
- Introduction to Natural and Man-Made Disasters and Their Effects on Buildings
- Terrorism: Biological, Chemical, and Nuclear. Clinics in Occupational and Environmental Medicine
- Related Research Article
- Related Research in Other Publications
- Letter to the Editor
- Comments on the Transportation of Highly Radioactive Waste: Implications for Homeland Security
- Reply from K. Rogers to L. Sattler's Letter to Editor
