The Terrorist Threat Essay -- Analysis, Ulrich Beck

The paper â€Å"The Terrorists Threat World Risk Society Revisited† written by Ulrich Beck, the author analyses how risk has changed overtime and he focuses on the idea of new risk, and that is world risk. Ulrich Beck breaks down this idea of world risk into three different types, spatial, temporal and social. As well, he also names three different types of conflict, he discusses the effects of risk on the center and the periphery and he examines the use of language. In this essay the main focus will be on how the main points of Ulrich Beck can all relate to the three different types of risk otherwise known as the de-bounding of risk. Also, I will look at how the de-bounding of risk has dissolved the idea of nation-states. One of the many ideas of risk in this topic is that risk has become de-bounded. Beck explains this by saying that risk is not the fact that life is becoming more dangerous, but the fact that the types of risks have changed (Beck 2). The de-bounding of risk means that risks have surpassed their territorial limits; they are not longer restricted by time and space boundaries. Beck argues that there are three new types of risk that emphasize this de-bounding. The first is called spatial, spatial risk refers to the fact that new risks in society are not staying within traditional boundaries; those are the boundaries of the states (Beck 2). The next type is temporal, this category of risk means that new risk does not have time restrictions, the consequences of a risk can last longer then we are able to communicate them (2). Lastly there is the social risk, the social risk no longer has one central cause, and you can no longer blame one person or society for that problem (3). Beck goes on to describe â€Å"[the de-bounding ... ... argument is too centered on America; this is because he is talking about dealing with the risks as a united world but he seems to be claiming America will be the center. His most compelling idea is the issue of the de-bounding risk. This is important because all of his other main points can be put into the three categories that he sets out for risk, spatial, temporal and de-bounding. The de-bounding of risk is also the reason for why states are slowly starting to focus more on risks and the world rather then risks and their society. In this essay I summarized Beck’s main points then examined how they could be categorized by the aspects of de-bounding as well, I also examined Beck’s idea of the nation-state disappearing. Overall Beck’s argument is one that should be taken into consideration when understanding where modernization is taking the future of the world.