Sovereignty and the War on Terrorism.

The Death of America, the Birth of a Sovereign? Hobbes and the War On Terrorism After 9/11 Abstract By Khalil M. Marrar This paper contends that in the age of ?the war on terrorism,? United States policy has become a Hobbesian sovereign both domestically, and internationally. After a brief synopsis of Hobbes?s sovereign, I argue that American governance on the local, federal, and international levels subjugates all political, economic, and societal actors and principles to combating terrorism. Focusing on the political sphere, I ask whether this new found American mission is actually a fulfillment of a national destiny and a forging of a new identity, or if it is merely an aberration of a fleeting order under an especially ambitious administration. I frame my argument within the context of the debate over modernity, and reread Hobbes?s theory of the sovereign and government to accommodate not only the nation-state, but its domestic and geopolitical affairs as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]