Security as Politics: Beyond the State of Exception

Product Description Andrew W. Neal argues that while 'security' was once an anti-political 'exception' in liberal democracies – a black box of secret intelligence and military decision-making at the dark heart of the state – it has now become normalised in professional political life. This represents a direct challenge to critical security studies debates and their core assumption that security is a kind of illiberal and undemocratic 'anti-politics'. Using archival research and interviews with politicians, Neal investigates security politics from the 1980s to the present day to show how its meaning and practice have changed over time. In doing so, he develops an original reassessment of the security/politics relationship. From the Inside Flap ‘This is a very engaging book that raises a number of important, intriguing and incisive questions about the relationship between security and politics. It is a scholarly, detailed and rigorous analysis, making potentially complicated ideas and theoretical constructs intelligible. This volume is a valuable contribution and a must read for those interested in security studies.’Alistair J.K. Shepherd, Aberystwyth UniversityAdopts the perspective of parliamentarians to reassess the relationship between security and politicsThis book argues that while ‘security’ was once an anti-political ‘exception’ in liberal democracies –- a black box of secret intelligence and military decision-making at the dark heart of the state – it has now become normalised in professional political life. This represents a direct challenge to critical security studies debates and their core assumption that security is a kind of illiberal and undemocratic ‘anti-politics’. Using archival research and interviews with politicians, the author investigates security politics from the 1980s to the present day to show how its meaning and practice have changed over time. In doing so, he develops an original reassessment of the security/politics relationship.Dr Andrew W. Neal is a Director of the Centre for Security Research (CeSeR) and Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at the University of Edinburgh.Cover image: © iStockphoto.comCover design:[EUP logo]edinburghuniversitypress.comISBN 978-1-4744-5092-8Barcode From the Back Cover ‘This is a very engaging book that raises a number of important, intriguing and incisive questions about the relationship between security and politics. It is a scholarly, detailed and rigorous analysis, making potentially complicated ideas and theoretical constructs intelligible. This volume is a valuable contribution and a must read for those interested in security studies.’ Alistair J.K. Shepherd, Aberystwyth University Adopts the perspective of parliamentarians to reassess the relationship between security and politics This book argues that while ‘security’ was once an anti-political ‘exception’ in liberal democracies –- a black box of secret intelligence and military decision-making at the dark heart of the state – it has now become normalised in professional political life. This represents a direct challenge to critical security studies debates and their core assumption that security is a kind of illiberal and undemocratic ‘anti-politics’. Using archival research and interviews with politicians, the author investigates security politics from the 1980s to the present day to show how its meaning and practice have changed over time. In doing so, he develops an original reassessment of the security/politics relationship. Dr Andrew W. Neal is a Director of the Centre for Security Research (CeSeR) and Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at the University of Edinburgh. Cover image: © iStockphoto.com Cover design: [EUP logo] edinburghuniversitypress.com ISBN 978-1-4744-5092-8 Barcode About the Author Andrew W. Neal is a Director of the Centre for Security Research (CeSeR) and Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relation