Thesis
Anxiety as Identity: The Presence of Ontological Insecurity within the American War on Terror
University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Master of Arts, University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
2020
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25907/00474
Abstract
In the field of International Relations, Ontological Security Theory (OST) is currently grappling with two internal debates: 1) what form does the State take as an ontological security seeking actor, and 2) how does the state experience ontological insecurity through fear and anxiety? These debates are centred around the field's broader structure-agency debate and the role of the State within this literature. When OST was initially outlined in 1991 by Anthony Giddens, it focused solely on the individual, not the State. This thesis will draw from Ronald Laing's Theory of Ontological Insecurity and the broader field of International Relations. The thesis argues that the State takes the form of a social actor, which is granted legitimacy through individuals ceding their agency. The position of the State as a social actor is reinforced through the rules, norms, and structures that are put in place, effectively creating a 'false-Self system' – the overarching social structure the actor operates within. Laing's work offers a way to engage with how states themselves as actors can experience anxiety—stemming from one of three sources: implosion, engulfment, or petrification. These sources of anxiety offer a set of categories which, while not undermining the subjective nature of anxiety, adds analytical clarity to understanding the 'Anxious State.'
This articulation of the 'Anxious State' and OST is evident in the United States' (US) response in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and its framing of the War on Terror (WoT). The terrorist attacks by al Qaeda represented a fear event which, in turn, motivated the ontological insecurity for the US. In seeking to regain ontological security and capitalise on the nature of these terrorist attacks (which were unconventional, non-state actors targeting civilians), President George W. Bush launched the US-led WoT and engaged in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. A discourse analysis of President Bush's speeches, press releases, and remarks from the time between the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the launch of the second Iraq War, shows that the US justified its actions with the use of language designed to evoke fear and anxiety. President Bush contrasted the actions of the US and its allies as “good” compared with the "evil" terrorists, to leverage the political desire to confront these terrorists and to steer the international system towards acting on behalf of US interests.
Details
- Title
- Anxiety as Identity: The Presence of Ontological Insecurity within the American War on Terror
- Authors
- Benjamin Cherry-Smith
- Contributors
- Shannon Brincat (Supervisor) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Social Sciences - LegacyPhillip Ablett (Supervisor) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Social Sciences - Legacy
- Awarding institution
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
- Degree awarded
- Master of Arts
- Publisher
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
- DOI
- 10.25907/00474
- Organisation Unit
- Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre; Tropical Forests and People Research Centre; School of Social Sciences - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Forest Research Institute; Student Services and Engagement; School of Law and Society; Sustainability Research Cluster
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99469908402621
- Output Type
- Thesis
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