Commentary, 9/10, 2003

Security and Liberty?
Security may be the most significant issue currently on the public’s mind. This is not surprising considering the events of the last two years. Issues of security have been cited for removing the Taliban from Afghanistan and as justification for "regime change" in Iraq. Security is a broad term, and these examples show that the word has been politicised and internationalised. Yet the desire for security does permeate the human psyche. Parents have always wanted their children to be secure – healthy and safe in the present and as they grow. Environmentalists have struggled to preserve the security of the natural world. Bankers and brokers help us to secure our financial security. And naturally, when our security is threatened, our reaction is intense. We must be careful not to let our gut-reaction overwhelm our reason, as oft-quoted America statesman Benjamin Franklin maintained, "They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty nor security."