Balancing civil liberties against national security? a critique of counterterrorism rhetoric

The academic, political and public discourse on counter-terrorism law and policy has frequently revolved around the idea that a balance must be struck between civil liberties and the interests of national security. It is imperative to avoid simple balance rhetoric when developing, formulating and implementing legal measures to counter the threat of international terrorism and the use of crude metaphors should never become substitute for sound reasoning, sensible decision-making and effective policy work.