The Importance of National Security vs Civil Rights and Liberties

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The Importance of National Security vs Civil Rights and Liberties After the cessation of hostilities at the end of World War 2, followed by the Cold War and the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States of America, many nations have had to re evaluate their national security policies. A part of this was that the rights of individuals had to be weighed up against the importance of national security. With so many of these nations operating under liberal democracies, the question has been raised as to whether individual rights are no longer as relevant as they once were, and whether this matters in a liberal democracy? This question runs counter to the fundamental ideals held by many liberal thinkers throughout history, and therefore deserves close examination. This essay will argue that while individual rights are important in liberal democracies, they cannot override the need for national security, as without it the liberal democracies themselves would be unable to exist. This will be shown by looking at arguments both for and against the relevance of individual rights when compared to national security. The theories of important liberal thinkers such as Nozick, Dewey, and Mill will be examined in the context of the modern world and shown to be ill equipped to account for modern security threats. The fundamental importance of individual rights to a liberal democracy will also be examined with arguments for and against. These arguments will focus largely on the United States of America, as it has been pivotal to the importance of national security in the modern world. Ultimately, this essay will argue that the need for national security outweighs the right to individual liberties in liberal democracies, and that the liberal theories examined do not adequately allow for matters of state importance. Before an analysis of liberty in democracies can begin it is

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