From ‘Terrorising the Other' to Securitising All: The Turn towards Coercive Identity Management

Rumyana Grozdanova van Ark

doi:10.71265/7372ae11

Authors

Rumyana Grozdanova van Ark University of Amsterdam https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5825-5327

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.71265/7372ae11

Keywords:

security, identity, digitalisation, risk, governance, citizenship, borders, counter-terrorism, immigration

Abstract

The management of individuals and their physical and digital identities has become vital to contemporary security and border governance. In targeting a certain set of ‘unsafe’ individuals deemed to pose a threat to national security, states’ multi-layered counter-terrorism toolkits have enabled a downward recalibration of the rights of these individuals; a recalibration that has since become both palatable and entrenched. With the ever increasing reliance on new and emerging digital solutions to existing and perceived future security risks, individual physical identities have been gradually translated into, arguably narrower, digital identities. As a corollary, the recalibration has not only shifted further downward but now impacts a much larger set of individuals depending on national and international political priorities.

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Author Biography

Rumyana Grozdanova van Ark, University of Amsterdam

Dr. Rumyana van Ark (née Grozdanova) is a Senior Researcher in International Law at the T.M.C. Asser Institute of the University of Amsterdam where she coordinates various international law and security related research and project activities. She is also a senior member and coordinator of the Implementing Team on a range of GCTF Initiatives which have included the ongoing US and UK led Initiative on Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems and New, Emerging, and Disruptive Technologies, the US and UNOCT led Initiative on Border Security Management (BSM) and the US and Norway led Initiative on Racially and Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremism (REMVE).

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