Bulley, Dan (2007) Exteriorising terror: inside/outside the failing state on 7 July 2005. Working Paper. University of Warwick. Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Regionalisation, Coventry.

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Abstract

Despite continuing to emphasise how globalisation reduces the relevance of separate ‘foreign’ and ‘domestic’ spheres, the British government’s response to the London bombings sought to exteriorise the event as foreign, even though it appeared largely domestic. This helped construct it as unusual, contingent, part of the uncontrollable ‘otherness’ of the ‘foreign’. However, it also drew the response into the arena of British foreign policy, where the ‘failing states’ has been the dominant conceptualisation of insecurity and terrorism, especially since September 11. When the bombings are examined through the ‘failing state’ disturbing and important problems are uncovered. Primarily, the ‘failing state’ discourse deconstructs under the influence of the terrorism in London, revealing that Britain itself is a ‘failing state’ by its own description and producing a generalisation of state ‘failure’. It thereby reveals several possible sites for responding to and resisting the government’s representation.

Item Type:	Working or Discussion Paper (Working Paper)
Subjects:	J Political Science > JZ International relations H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Regionalisation
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	London Terrorist Bombings, London, England, 2005, Terrorism and globalization -- Great Britain, International relations and terrorism -- Great Britain, Great Britain -- Foreign relations
Series Name:	Working papers (University of Warwick. Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Regionalisation)
Publisher:	University of Warwick. Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Regionalisation
Place of Publication:	Coventry
Date:	May 2007
Number:	No.226
Number of Pages:	27
Status:	Not Peer Reviewed
Access rights to Published version:	Open Access
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URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/1882

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