The Freedom of Security

An important, highly critical study of Canada’s “war on terror.”

A trenchant exploration of how security and counter-terrorism practices are not only eroding civil liberties, but reshaping the very nature of our political freedom.

Colleen Bell is a lecturer in international politics in the Department of Politics at Birkbeck, University of London.

Nathalie Des Rosiers:
[Bell] pursues her thinking uncompromisingly and shares her research with an eloquence rare in academic treatises ... she invites us to think anew about an important aspect of contemporary political life. Security practices are now so imbedded in our ideas of freedom that we are unable to disengage from them. We are no longer able to fully appreciate how security intrudes in our lives as we travel, play, work or participate in the political process ... by forcing us to confront these unattractive facts and to recognize just how insidious security has become, Bell does her readers a considerable service.

Michael Williams, author of Culture and Security: Symbolic Power and the Politics of International Security:
The Freedom of Security brings new and provocative perspectives to bear on Canadian politics. Arguing that security should not be seen as a trade-off between liberty and security, but as a reconfiguration of structures of governance with security at their centre, Bell provides a much-needed intervention into debates over foreign policy. Her book is likely to attract significant interest.

Peter Nyers, author of Rethinking Refugees: Beyond States of Emergency:
An original and critical study of Canada’s "War on Terror." Colleen Bell provides a sophisticated reading of the debate between liberty and security. As well as being theoretically engaged, her book is also one of the few to illuminate current Canadian security practices. Highly recommended.