makeworlds - Freedom of movement

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

n/a

Thomas Atzert & Jost Mueller: The Continuation of War: Polizeywissenschaft, extended version

fls — Sat, 21 Feb 2004 23:27:00 +0000

Talking â€“ and writing â€“ about a new form of war, and new types of warfare, didnâ€™t start recently. Actually we can trace back this debate to the gulf war of 1991, it accompanied the wars in former Soviet Union and last but not least those in former Yugoslavia. Much has been written on â€œrevolution in military affairsâ€, on weapon technologies, on historical and sociological aspects regarding the â€œnewâ€ warfare. But in doing so, most authors did hardly get out of mere typology: there is warfare led by a bunch of warlord militias, as in Somalia and Afghanistan, and their only objective seems to be a prolongation of the war, because warlord power stems from war. There is war leading to nation building as well as to breaking-up nations, as it is the case with Armenia and Azerbaijan, or again with Yugoslavia. There are civil wars and wars involving nations, not to mention the many undeclared wars of low intensity. And we observe asymmetric wars, as the one in Palestine, as the wars waged against Afghanistan, against Iraq, and the so-called war on terrorism. But we speak of a new form of war; and we do not mean typology, because the latter isnâ€™t able to go beyond a confusing ensemble of motivations and legitimations, searching an historical precedent for every type of war.

Sandro Mezzadra: Citizenship in motion

fls — Sat, 21 Feb 2004 22:53:00 +0000

Etienne Balibar's recent interventions have stressed the strategic importance of including the history of colonial expansionism in any critical reflection on the question of European citizenship. This inclusion, not exclusive to academic debating, is a fundamental issue of everyday life in Europe due to the 'increasingly larger and legitimate presence, despite the suffered discriminations, of populations of colonial origins in the old metropolises'.

Etienne Balibar: At The Borders Of Europe

fls — Sat, 21 Feb 2004 22:40:00 +0000

I am speaking of the "Borders of Europe" in Greece, one of the "peripheral" countries of Europe in its traditional configuration--a configuration that reflects powerful myths and a long-lived series of historical events. ThessalonÃki is itself at the edge of this border country, one of those places where the dialectic between confrontation with the foreigner (transformed into a hereditary enemy) and communication between civilizations (without which humanity cannot progress) is periodically played out. I thus find myself, it seems, right in the middle of my object of study, with all the resultant difficulties.

Drew Hemment: The Locative Dystopia

fls — Sat, 21 Feb 2004 16:17:00 +0000

2004 opened with the cancellation of a number of commercial airline flights at the bequest of the US administration. This serves as a reminder of the mundane and arbitrary operation of power ("Its got to the point where if there's anybody called Mohammed aboard, your flight's got a problem" - senior airline source, quoted Guardian, 3 January 2004), and also of the renewed focus on surveillance and the ability to accurately locate potential suspects.

Pont St. Martin Parigi: The undesirables

Arianna — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 17:37:00 +0000

There are ever increasing numbers of undesirables in the world. There are too many men and women for whom this society has not provided any role except that of croaking in order to make everyone else function. Dead to the world or to themselves: this is the only way society wants them.

Giorgio Agamben: No to Bio-Political Tattooing

fls — Fri, 16 Jan 2004 17:49:00 +0000

The newspapers leave no doubt: from now on whoever wants to go to the United States with a visa will be put on file and will have to leave their fingerprints when they enter the country. Personally, I have no intention of submitting myself to such procedures and that's why I didn't wait to cancel the course I was supposed to teach at New York University in March.