Personal and National Security - Research Paper Example

How far should we tread on personal and civil liberties to assure personal and national security? SUBMISSION How far should we tread on personal and civil liberties to assure personal and national security? National security is basically the security measures taken on the national level by the government in collaboration with the security agencies to ensure peace within the region. Security is one of the basic necessities of all the people so that they can live in a harmonious environment, hence to ensure security of personal and civil liberties there is a thin line which need not be crossed under any circumstances.

To some extent violation of the rights of individuals as well as civil liberties to ensure the security of the nation is justified. As the legislative bodies were elected through a procedure that involved the participation of the entire nation, we gave them the right to decide our fate hence they are liable to do so. It is said that freedom of thought, speech, actions etc. are hampering the security of a nation in many ways. They not only destroy the structure of the state but also work to destabilize and rupture the foundations.

What needs to be done is to develop a balance in order to make sure that the prevailing crisis and inefficiencies do not result in a social revolt by the civil liberties. It has been observed that those states which are in a state of constant warfare at times need to deprive the rights of civilians in order to bring about peace. Violating rights for the sake of the security of the masses is justified when the security of the state is at stake. Furthermore at times this violation of rights is not acceptable at all because the personal and civil liberties go hand in hand with the national security.

The policy which not respects the rights cannot flourish and provoke terrorism. One needs to guarantee to protect rights of people so that they trust the state for their security measures. One cannot consider the civil liberty and security to be different from each other. (Lynch & Williams, 2007). They both are equally important and one cannot give up on either of them. what needs to be done is that the government should device such methods that derive from the constitution which do not disturb personal rights of people.

The freedom is not just limited to good times but the people should be able to avail their freedom during the time of crisis as well. The true essence of democracy lies within the fact that governments guarantee their sovereignty. When governments give up on civil liberties during tough or crucial times it hampers the trust of the people and is somewhat equal to surrendering to the bullet of the enemy. (Heymann, 2003). In order to overcome the war against terrorism individuals need to be provided with their destined rights and governments should be responsible to provide them their security.

It is said that in order to protect the sovereignty of the masses the rights of individuals can be disturbed. This philosophy is against the morals and the rules set by the human rights as all individuals are liable to observe the same type of freedom. Further it is believed that the road that leads to security of the masses begins with the security of an individual. (Arnold, 2000) If the rights of the people are sabotaged then there are chances of social uprising or development of antigovernment sentiments amongst the people.

This will be a result of being deprived from their basic rights which are to have their privacy or the freedom to move without the fear of any external force. The reason of the increase in terrorism within the state is because the lack of privacy provided. If governments acts as watchdogs keeping track of their activities it would eventually develop feelings of insecurity and resentment. The outburst of terrorism because of the anger that is within the people results in activities which hamper the security and peace.

In a nutshell the security of a nation is the prime concern as it allows individuals to be secure and practice their living the way they want. This liberty should not be deprived under any circumstances to avoid any negative impacts. References Lynch, A., MacDonald, E., & Williams, G. (2007). Law and liberty in the war on terror. Annandale, NSW: Federation Press. Heymann, P. B. (2003). Terrorism, freedom, and security: Winning without war. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press. Arnold, J. (2000). History: A very short introduction.

Oxford: Oxford University Press.