Our Blog
The war on terror is an attempt to make security the highest goal of American life. Our leaders have reduced politics to questions of mere survival, in which even the smallest risks are viewed as overriding threats to national existence. We at Against the War on Terror aim to challenge this view and the apparent need to eliminate fear itself. The preservation of bare life cannot and should not guide our political activity and dominate our public culture. We reject the very premise of the war on terror.
Since we are challenging the premise of the war on terror, and seek to develop a truly independent, alternative position, we will not accept the terms of debate as they exist, but rather intend to change them. Instead of beginning from the existing partisan divisions between the Bush administration and its left-liberal critics, we aim to situate the war on terror in relation to broader political trends in our society. Doing so will show that the real political dividing lines are not necessarily between ‘left’ and ‘right’, or ‘liberal’ and ‘conservative’. The substance of the argument matters more than the formal label. We believe both the Bush administration and its left-liberal critics are guilty of using fear and pragmatism over principle. In fact, we are as concerned with the lack of principled argument amongst the opposition, as we are with the way the Bush administration uses its power. The most urgent political imperative, in our eyes, is to develop a coherent critique of the politics of fear and a consistent argument in favor of liberty.
To this end, we will offer daily postings along with a few special features. Our first special feature consists of occasional essays, longer in length than a normal blog entry, which aim to present a more fully developed and carefully researched set of ideas than is commonly found in the blogosphere. We also host debates and other events in the New York City area. In the near future, we will expand into podcasts. For now, we encourage visitors to post comments. Our aim is not merely to express ourselves, but to have a real debate, and even to persuade.
Against the War on Terror is a collectively authored blog. The editors are a group of young activists, students and writers living in the New York Area. They include: Ryan Block, Nick Frayn, Alex Gourevitch, Forrest Heidel and Aziz Rana.
Since we are challenging the premise of the war on terror, and seek to develop a truly independent, alternative position, we will not accept the terms of debate as they exist, but rather intend to change them. Instead of beginning from the existing partisan divisions between the Bush administration and its left-liberal critics, we aim to situate the war on terror in relation to broader political trends in our society. Doing so will show that the real political dividing lines are not necessarily between ‘left’ and ‘right’, or ‘liberal’ and ‘conservative’. The substance of the argument matters more than the formal label. We believe both the Bush administration and its left-liberal critics are guilty of using fear and pragmatism over principle. In fact, we are as concerned with the lack of principled argument amongst the opposition, as we are with the way the Bush administration uses its power. The most urgent political imperative, in our eyes, is to develop a coherent critique of the politics of fear and a consistent argument in favor of liberty.
To this end, we will offer daily postings along with a few special features. Our first special feature consists of occasional essays, longer in length than a normal blog entry, which aim to present a more fully developed and carefully researched set of ideas than is commonly found in the blogosphere. We also host debates and other events in the New York City area. In the near future, we will expand into podcasts. For now, we encourage visitors to post comments. Our aim is not merely to express ourselves, but to have a real debate, and even to persuade.
Against the War on Terror is a collectively authored blog. The editors are a group of young activists, students and writers living in the New York Area. They include: Ryan Block, Nick Frayn, Alex Gourevitch, Forrest Heidel and Aziz Rana.