Susan Herman, Nicolas Fischer, Sylvie Thénault
Susan Herman
President, American Civil Liberties Union; Centennial Professor of Law, Brooklyn Law School; author of Taking Liberties: The War on Terror and the Erosion of American Democracy (2011 & 2014)
Nicolas Fischer
Researcher in political science, CESDIP, CNRS; visiting fellow, CIRHUS, CNRS-NYU; author of Le territoire de l’expulsion. La retention administrative des étrangers et l’Etat de droit dans la France contemporaine (2016)
Sylvie Thénault
Research director in History, Centre d’histoire sociale, CNRS; visiting professor, NYU Institute of French Studies; author of Violence ordinaire dans l’Algérie coloniale (2012), Une drôle de justice. Les magistrats dans la guerre (2001)
Exposed to unprecedentedly frequent terrorist violence, France’s government has proclaimed the nation at war with terrorism, and granted exceptional powers to its police and security services for almost a year. Although the efficacy of the state of emergency in combating terrorism remains to be proven, very few members of Parliament have voted against its fourth prolongation until January 2017. Now 15 years old, the USA Patriot Act, passed by the US Congress only a few weeks after 9/11, is no longer a temporary exception but rather the new normal. Our panelists will reflect the endurance of the state of emergency in each country, compare and contrast the American and French situations, examine the liberties that are curtailed with the war on terror, and reflect on why special powers outlive the context in which they were created.
Institute of French Studies Roundtable