The politics of terror and the neoliberal military minimalist state: On the inheritance of 9-11

The decade anniversary of the 9-11 terrorist attack is considered from the standpoint of three trends that synergized what can be called a new form of governmentality. First, the author considers the recrudescence of the military-surveillance state that in a paternalistic and biopolitical fashion must do its utmost to secure the 'safety' of its population. Second, and simultaneously, the triumph of the neoliberal ideology that spells the dismantling of the welfare state, and deep cuts in so-called "entitlements". Third, the author considers how the rise of the neoliberal military minimalist state may be related to the recent demographic trends that mark a pronounced de-urbanization in the Midwest (the "Heartland"), and population growth in the South and Southwest.