The “war on terror” has forced democracies to grapple with the extent to which they can afford to protect the civil rights and liberties of both their citizens and foreigners. The debate has been most intense in the United States, where the refrain that the Constitution is not a “suicide pact” and that national security can justify extraordinary measures is heard repeatedly.
“反恐战争”迫使民主国家深思它们可以在多大程度上保护自己的公民和外国人的民权和自由。这一争论在美国最为激烈。在该国，宪法不是“自杀协议”、为了国家安全可以采取超常措施等等老调不绝于耳。某些手段，例如未经许可调查银行记录和窃听电话损害所有人的自由。其他措施则影响到被认为是敌人的人们，最臭名昭著的是在关塔那摩湾关押约450名被指称的穆斯林战士。