Fear and Loathing in Post 9/11 America: Public Perceptions of Terrorism as Shaped by News Media and the Politics of Fear

The politics of fear have deeply divided the United States of America. Decades of propaganda portray Muslims as a terrorist threat to the dominant US culture and society. The War on Terror and its consequences, including the rise of ISIL and the 2015 Syrian refugee crisis, resulted in the destabilization of democracy in both the US and Europe. I argue that the US public’s fear of terrorism is not just a fear of violence but instead reflects racial tensions and anxieties in a rapidly changing world. These tensions and anxieties are fueled by media coverage leveraging a general fear and distrust of non-white foreigners. The result of this is a pervasive fear of violent victimization at the hands of minorities, shaped by mass media content, which politicians capitalize on for their own gain. In this dissertation, I study the media effects of agenda setting, framing, and reinforcing spirals on public fear of terrorism with data from the Granite State Poll (GSP), Gallup’s Most Important Problem (MIP), and a content analysis of broadcast news transcripts from NexisUni. I expand on current research by examining the fear of terrorism from the perspectives of criminological theory, critical media studies, and racial formation theory

Elections in digital times: a guide for electoral practitioners

Strengthening democracy and electoral processes in the era of social media and Artificial Intelligence Democracy requires free, periodic, transparent, and inclusive elections. Freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and the right to political participation are also critical to societies ruled by the respect of human rights. In today’s rapidly evolving digital environment, opportunities for communication between citizens, politicians and political parties are unprecedented –– with information related to elections flowing faster and easier than ever, coupled with expanded opportunities for its verification and correction by a growing number of stakeholders. However, with billions of human beings connected, and disinformation and misinformation circulating unhinged around the networks, democratic processes and access to reliable information are at risk. With an estimated 56.8% of the world’s population active on social media and an estimate of 4 billion eligible voters, the ubiquity of social networks and the impact of Artificial Intelligence can intentionally or unintentionally undermine electoral processes, thereby delegitimizing democracies worldwide. In this context, all actors involved in electoral processes have an essential role to play. Electoral management bodies, electoral practitioners, the media, voters, political parties, and civil society organizations must understand the scope and impact of social media and Artificial Intelligence in the electoral cycle. They also need to have access to the tools to identify who instigates and spreads disinformation and misinformation, and the tools and strategies to combat it. This handbook aims to be a toolbox that helps better understand the current scenario and share experiences of good practices in different electoral settings and equip electoral practitioners and other key actors from all over the world to ensure the credibility of the democratic system in times of profound transformations

Islamophobia and the urban (im)mobilities of Muslims : a comparative case study of Sydney, Australia and the San Francisco Bay Area, USA

This thesis argues that there is a complex and relational link between race and Muslim mobility which is shaped by global and local processes of Islamophobia. The research uses a social constructivist theoretical approach to racism and insights from the ‘new mobilities’ paradigm – notably, the ‘politics of mobility’ – to examine how the geographies of Islamophobia influence the way young Muslims engage in urban spaces. Empirically, the thesis draws on the findings of two mixed-method case studies, which used web-based surveys and follow-up interviews with young Muslims aged 18-35 years living in Sydney, Australia, and the San Francisco Bay Area, USA. The thesis advances three key contributions. Theoretically, the thesis contributes to emerging debates on the geographies of racism by mapping the spatial imaginaries of Islamophobia from the perspective of the racialised. These findings add nuance to existing research on the geographies of racism that have restricted their analyses to racial attitudes rather than perceptions of racism. Additionally, the research enhances emerging debates on the racialised politics of mobility by exploring how the relationship between race, space and movement shapes Muslim (im)mobility in each city. Finally, the study contributes to comparative urbanisms by uncovering the relational processes as well as contextual variations in how the racialised politics of mobility is both spatialised and negotiated by racialised individuals. The thesis is structured in a ‘PhD by a series of papers’ format, with four results chapters presented in the form of academic journal articles. Three (3) papers are published and one (1) is accepted for publication (in-print). Each paper is introduced with an exegesis that contextualises the research and the papers. The thesis is connected through six (6) additional chapters that form the ‘overarching statement’. Together, the findings highlight the need for local and context-specific anti-racism policy practice, public education campaigns and policy initiatives that respond to the geographies racism according to the spatial imaginaries and lived experiences of racialised groups. Such responses must account for the spatial impacts of past, as well as current socio-political events on racialised (im)mobilities in contemporary urban spaces

Global Authoritarianism: Perspectives and Contestations from the South

We are witnessing a worldwide resurgence of reactionary ideologies and movements, combined with an escalating assault on democratic institutions and structures. Nevertheless, most studies of these phenomena remain anchored in a methodological nationalism, while comparative research is almost entirely limited to the Global North. Yet, authoritarian transformations in the South - and the struggles against them - have not only been just as dramatic as those in the North but also preceded them, and consequently have been studied by Southern scholars for many years. This volume brings together the work of more than 15 scholar-activists from across the Global South, combining in-depth studies of regional processes of authoritarian transformation with a global perspective on authoritarian capitalism

Global Authoritarianism

We are witnessing a worldwide resurgence of reactionary ideologies and movements, combined with an escalating assault on democratic institutions and structures. Nevertheless, most studies of these phenomena remain anchored in a methodological nationalism, while comparative research is almost entirely limited to the Global North. Yet, authoritarian transformations in the South — and the struggles against them — have not only been just as dramatic as those in the North but also preceded them, and consequently have been studied by Southern scholars for many years. This volume brings together the work of more than 15 scholar-activists from across the Global South, combining in-depth studies of regional processes of authoritarian transformation with a global perspective on authoritarian capitalism. With a foreword by Verónica Gago

Global Authoritarianism

We are witnessing a worldwide resurgence of reactionary ideologies and movements, combined with an escalating assault on democratic institutions and structures. Nevertheless, most studies of these phenomena remain anchored in a methodological nationalism, while comparative research is almost entirely limited to the Global North. Yet, authoritarian transformations in the South — and the struggles against them — have not only been just as dramatic as those in the North but also preceded them, and consequently have been studied by Southern scholars for many years. This volume brings together the work of more than 15 scholar-activists from across the Global South, combining in-depth studies of regional processes of authoritarian transformation with a global perspective on authoritarian capitalism. With a foreword by Verónica Gago

Ethical and Unethical Hacking

The goal of this chapter is to provide a conceptual analysis of ethical, comprising history, common usage and the attempt to provide a systematic classification that is both compatible with common usage and normatively adequate. Subsequently, the article identifies a tension between common usage and a normativelyadequate nomenclature. ‘Ethical hackers’ are often identified with hackers that abide to a code of ethics privileging business-friendly values. However, there is no guarantee that respecting such values is always compatible with the all-things-considered morally best act. It is recognised, however, that in terms of assessment, it may be quite difficult to determine who is an ethical hacker in the ‘all things considered’ sense, while society may agree more easily on the determination of who is one in the ‘business-friendly’ limited sense. The article concludes by suggesting a pragmatic best-practice approach for characterising ethical hacking, which reaches beyond business-friendly values and helps in the taking of decisions that are respectful of the hackers’ individual ethics in morally debatable, grey zones

Best Practices and Recommendations for Cybersecurity Service Providers

This chapter outlines some concrete best practices and recommendations for cybersecurity service providers, with a focus on data sharing, data protection and penetration testing. Based on a brief outline of dilemmas that cybersecurity service providers may experience in their daily operations, it discusses data handling policies and practices of cybersecurity vendors along the following five topics: customer data handling; information about breaches; threat intelligence; vulnerability-related information; and data involved when collaborating with peers, CERTs, cybersecurity research groups, etc. There is, furthermore, a discussion of specific issues of penetration testing such as customer recruitment and execution as well as the supervision and governance of penetration testing. The chapter closes with some general recommendations regarding improving the ethical decision-making procedures of private cybersecurity service providers

Religious Violence, Political Ends

Politisch begründete religiöse Gewalt war und ist seit der Antike eine gängige Praxis: Die Gräueltaten des Römischen Reiches gegenüber frühchristlichen Gemeinschaften wurden schnell durch nicht minder aggressive Handlungen gegenüber nicht-christlichen Gläubigen ersetzt, denen abscheuliche und polytheistische Praktiken vorgeworfen wurden. Mit dem Aufkommen der Moderne hat die Homogenisierung der religiösen Sphäre für politisch-ökonomische Zwecke, die Vernichtung jeder Form von Häresie und die Ausbreitung des Protestantismus, des Calvinismus und des Anglikanismus eine Umstrukturierung und Konzeptualisierung der westeuropäischen Staaten bewirkt, ganz nach der Devise „ein Königreich, mit einer Religion und einer Nation“. Das Ende der Religionskriege (1648), die Westfälische Souveränität und der Cuius Regio Eius Religio hatten Einfluss auf die Bildung des modernen Europa und anderer Regionen, der französisch-britische Kolonialismus zwang dabei dem gesamten Nahen Osten und der islamischen Welt das gleiche System auf. Der vorliegende Band widmet sich der Untersuchung von interreligiöser Gewalt, religiösem Sektierertum und Islamophobie auf theoretischer Basis, verbunden mit dem „Kampf der Kulturen“ und dem „Religiösen Nationalismus“, als Ausdrücken präziser politischer Ziele, mit denen die Erhaltung der Fragmentierung und der kriegerischen Auseinandersetzungen im Osten sowie das Schüren von Ängsten und Vorurteilen im Westen verfolgt werden. Religious violence due to political reasons has been a common practice since ancient times: The massacres of early Christian communities, carried out by the Roman Empire, were rapidly replaced by equally harsh measures against non-Christian believers, being accused of abominable and polytheistic practises. The advent of the modern age, the homogenization of the religious sphere for political-economic ends, the annihilation of any kind of heresy and the emergence of Protestantism, Calvinism and Anglicanism restructured the conceptualization of the Western European States emphasizing the adage “one kingdom, with one religion and one nation”. The end of the religious wars (1648), the Westphalian sovereignty and the Cuius Regio Eius Religio had an impact on the formation of Europe and other regions, the Franco-British colonialism imposed the same system on the entire Middle Eastern and Islamic World. This volume thoroughly examines the usage of inter-religious violence, religious sectarianism and Islamophobia on a theoretical basis, linked with “Clashes of Civilizations” and “Religious Nationalism”, and describes them as manifestations of precise political ends, aiming to preserve fragmentation and warlike states in the East as well as fear and prejudices in the West

The Ethics of Cybersecurity

This open access book provides the first comprehensive collection of papers that provide an integrative view on cybersecurity. It discusses theories, problems and solutions on the relevant ethical issues involved. This work is sorely needed in a world where cybersecurity has become indispensable to protect trust and confidence in the digital infrastructure whilst respecting fundamental values like equality, fairness, freedom, or privacy. The book has a strong practical focus as it includes case studies outlining ethical issues in cybersecurity and presenting guidelines and other measures to tackle those issues. It is thus not only relevant for academics but also for practitioners in cybersecurity such as providers of security software, governmental CERTs or Chief Security Officers in companies