The Globalization of Informal Violence, Theories of World Politics, and ?the Liberalism of Fear?

Terrorism can be seen as a form of globalization: the globalization of informal violence, exemplified centuries ago by piracy. Even the United States now views geographical space as a carrier of violence, rather than an effective barrier to it. The globalization of informal violence reflects patterns of asymmetrical interdependence, and reinforces some of the lessons learned about interdependence in the 1970s. State responses to non-state violence since 9/11 illustrate both the significance and limitations of international institutions as sources of collective legitimation and arenas for coordination of policy. Normatively, 9/11 gives new meaning to Judith Shklar’s phrase, ?the liberalism of fear,? reminding us of the reliance of liberal societies on multilateral efforts to maintain conditions in which they can thrive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]