Redrawing the Line: Borders and Security in the Twenty-first Century

Abstract

effort to restrict territorial access-has long been a core state activity.' As territorially demarcated institutions, states have always imposed entry barriers, whether to deter armies, tax trade and protect domestic producers, or keep out perceived undesirables. All states monopolize the right to determine who and what is granted legitimate territorial access.2 But there is significant historical variation in border control priorities. Although military defense and economic regulation have traditionally been central border concerns, in many places states are retooling and reconfiguring their border regulatory apparatus to prioritize policing. Thus, rather than simply eroding, as is often assumed, the importance of territoriality is persisting-but with a shift in emphasis.3 In many cases, more intensive border law enforcement is accompanying the demilitarization and economic liberalization of borders.