National Security and Society

This blog was started as a class project dealing with the ideological nature of national security. Evidently, I have not had many updates to the site since the class has ended, although I had intentions of continued work on it. At this moment, I still want to occasionally work on this blog. Why? - Mainly because today I checked the hit count since the end of the assignment in early/mid-December and there have been about 20 hits. Not much I know, but for a blog like this I think it's pretty impressive! So, I know a few of you are still reading this.

I am considering shifting the focus of this blog closer to my research/academic interests in law and technology. Currently, my honours paper is dealing with the intersection between law, copyright, and technology - there is so much information in this area that not all of it can go into my paper which is limited to 60 pages. Hence, I may use this as a way to post some thoughts and ideas that don't quite fit into my paper.

In the meantime, you can follow me here.

As well, in the right hand sidebar column under the "Other Projects" heading, you will find an audio version of the debate that I did for the State Security and Dissent class in which this blog was created for.

Taken directly from my Final Analysis/Evaluation document (LAWS 4309 | December 2, 2008):

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"While this blog did not set out to solve the problems associated with national security, it has provided a venue for the discussion of the social problem. In this sense, providing a site at which individuals can engage in discussions about the reinforcement of the status quo via national security is just one aspect in trying to solve the problem. Although there may not be a single solution for these national security problems, having discussions on the topic raises awareness. The creation of a discourse is but one way of moving towards solving any social issue.

Nowadays, as much as there is collective action taking place on the public streets, there are perhaps just as many social issues beginning with massive collective action on the Internet. Even though the Internet presents its own source of problems, it has also provided society with the tools engage in dissent and disruption of the status quo. Whereas a protest on the streets is limited by geography and logistics, it is conceivable that tens of thousands of individuals could engage in popular protest online. Hence, one of the aims of this project was to be a part of this new form of resistance that takes place on the Internet. Hence, this particular project is simply part of a broader movement that is taking place online where users are speaking to the issues in front of a worldwide audience.

If this is indeed the case, the blog itself could be subject to state definitions as well. For instance, the blog could be labelled as a form of Internet resistance or a form of Internet terrorism. So if this blog were seen as threatening to the state and the status quo, then perhaps state officials would closely monitor this blog.

Finally, this blog, amongst others, could also serve as a gathering point and the start of what can be considered more direct action. For example, readers could use the Internet as a gathering point and plan marches on the streets. On the other hand, staying with a solely Internet approach, readers could agree to massively send out e-mails to a government department or agency regarding an issue of concern. If this form of resistance is able to garner sufficient numbers, a direct action approach could be achieved without ever having to leave the house. A large amount of e-mails could threaten to shut down e-mail servers and cause a particular agency to listen to the voice of a collective group of individuals. As a result, this project, while still technically in its developmental stages in terms of reader base, has the potential to be taken in many directions. The direct action of the reader base of a blog is just one of the many possible real world consequences of beginning a discourse in the online world. "

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