The scenification of terrorism in Afghanistan War by the Bush Administration

• Grant number: 14/24212-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2015
• End date: December 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Political Science - Political Behavior
• Principal Investigator: Samuel Alves Soares
• Grantee: Alessandra Katty Wu
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais (FCHS). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Franca. Franca , SP, Brazil

Abstract

After 2001, the treatment of international terrorism underwent major changes, with the institutionalization of its combat with the opening of the "war on terror". Based on this change and on the Securitization Theory, the research has the objective to identify, through analysis of the political decisions, the discourse basis of the scenification process in Afghanistan War during the Bush Administration (2001-2009). Thus, the research will be guided by Ulrich Beck interpretation about the current historical context, characterized by the lack of control in the world risk society; hence, it is presented the trend of progressive failure of institutions (including the State) as result from the corrosion of the rational basis by the "manufactured uncertainties" - derived from the industrial society innovation momentum - and the inability of the States to respond properly to global threats. The combination of the thoughts of Beck and Securitization Theory scholars allows the assumption that the scenification, that is, the act of staging an issue as an existential threat to justify the formulation and adoption of exceptional measures in order to combat the risk, can be a key step in the securitization process. Given the theoretical framework and considering the existence of the scenification of terrorism, it is also possible to assume that, in an attempt to react to the gradual collapse of the Westphalian international structure and unity of the nation-state, the United States employ securitization of terrorism and the intensification of the exceptionalism idea as a way to reafirm its primacy and leadership in international society.