Global Security

From our Comm Revs tute yesterday, one issue that we didn't discuss, in terms of globalisation and how new communication technologies have changed humanity's world view, is the issue of security.

Before the printing press, people would have been only concerned with the security of their family and of their own village, having little access to knowledge or information about villages in other parts of the country. However, with the creation of print and therefore the solidification of the concept of the nation state (according to many of our readings), the public would have become concerned about national security, having a geographical US vs THEM mentality. The next step, with the advent of televisiona and then the internet, has been a focus on global security. This has less to do with geographical borders and more to do with political ideologies and/or culture clashes. It is the logic behind the War on Terror; it is not America's war, it is a global war, or so we are told.

I would argue that even the previous World Wars were halfway between a national security issue and the global focus we have today.

Anyone care to comment?