A Tale of Two Nations: India, the United States, and Cross-Border Flows in a Time of Terrorism.

In the aftermath of the 2001 attacks on the US, thousands of individuals were swept up by the long arm of the law. Two of these were Muslim men from the city of Hyderabad in South India?Mohammed Azmath and Syed Shah-who were accused by American authorities of being linked to the 9/11 terrorists. Azmath and Shah were finally released and deported in 2003 after having served time for credit card fraud. During this time, Indian authorities also tried to deport Azmath?s wife, who was revealed to be a Pakistani citizen who had overstayed her visa in India. This story is a microcosm of the intersections of nationalism and globalization, overlaid with new concerns about terrorism and religious militancy. The contradictions between ethnicity and citizenship are played out both in the US and in India as both these multicultural states struggle to redefine themselves in the face of concerns about Islamic fundamentalism. Using the story of two individuals, this paper shows how immigration complicates the security calculations of states, focuses their fears, and demonstrates the limits and extent of their power in an age of globalization. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]