The Dilemma of National Security and Civil Liberties

A “national security state” is a state with a government that takes extensive measures to guarantee the safety of its citizens and its interests, which can be both local and global, sometimes even at the cost of the civil liberties of its people. Cultures of Secrecy  are the practices of a national security state that prevent the propagation of sensitive, classified information to the general public. Robert Dean, who wrote Cultures of Secrecy in Postwar America, accentuates how agencies like the Central Intelligence Agency(CIA) and other bureaucratic agencies used invasive, inconsiderate tactics to instigate gross covert campaigns against those states deemed as their enemies. He goes on to state that these agencies destabilized third-world countries, organized campaigns of sabotage, and even infiltrated local civilian institutions that were suspected to be communist. He mentions how the ideological struggle of the USA with the Soviet states before the Cold War was used as an excuse to target teachers, celebrities, labor unions, diplomats, and CIA personnel. Moreover, it is further elaborated in his journal how Congress has little to no oversight over the local and foreign policies of these agencies and how these agencies employ the use of specific practices to avoid attention from the public. Later, he states that through the Church and Pike Committees, some of the operations conducted by the CIA over the years were revealed, such as illegal domestic spying on US citizens and “Family Jewels”  (Dean).

In the case of Nevada/Utah, the national security state materialized when nuclear test sites were set up in the region. These test sites were predominantly set up in 1951 in the rural lands of Nevada and Utah, which had low population densities. In “Home on the Range, Downwind” by Sarah Alisabeth Fox, the experiences of people who lived in Cedar City were explained. These people earned a livelihood by raising and selling livestock and lived downwind of the nuclear test sites. Her focus was mainly on how these tests were contaminating the environment, causing health issues for both humans and animals. She gave examples of the ‘Bulloch family’ and many others throughout the chapter and how the Atomic Energy Commission, being aware of the environmental contamination caused by the test, chose to ignore the deaths of livestock on the ranches of families such as the ‘Bulloch Family.’ The tests allegedly were also causing cancer and heart issues (a good example being Sheldon Johnson and his offspring who lived an hour south of Cedar City) in the residents of Cedar City (Fox). Therefore, the culture of secrecy was practiced throughout the nuclear tests in Nevada/Utah because local communities were constantly being lied to about the risks of being close to the atomic test sites. In summation, it’s fair to say that it’s increasingly hypocritical of the forces that govern us to claim they value human freedom and safety because at the same time, they continue to spy and sabotage the lives of their citizens.

The national security state does indeed continue to exist, especially in today’s world, where technology has made it easier for agencies like the CIA and the NSA to gather intelligence and conduct surveillance. Moreover, the USA continues to allocate substantial resources to the defense sector in the name of maintaining national security instead of providing free education and health facilities to its citizens. Lastly, even though there have been efforts towards increasing transparency, American whistleblowers like Edward Snowden have exposed the extent of privacy invasion practiced by agencies like the National Security Agency (NSA), which collect considerable amounts of data on American citizens without the consent of the public.

(Had the example of Edward Snowden in my mind because I’ve seen the 2016 film, Snowden.)