During this week’s lectures, we discussed Judith Butler’s article Frames of war, digging deep into its correlations with the works that we are focusing on this semester. In this particular blog post, I would like to focus solely on Butler’s mention of “global responsibility” (36).

As global citizens, it is expected of us to question the establishment of our society and how we are affected by different aspects that either encourage or discourage internationality. Butler poses the question “what are the implicit frames of recognizability in play which I recognize someone as ‘like’ me?” (36) The very things that define our identity and thus create a clear cut line between cultures of different kinds. Basis such as theses allow us to become a part of a larger community in which we feel a sense of belonging, yet also aids in the construction of a definite image of ‘us’ and ‘them’.

Regarding collective events such as terrorist attacks or war, we are often forced to choose sides since political situations aren’t easily manipulated. Butler mentions “when a population appears as a direct threat to my life, they do not appear as ‘lives’ but as a threat to life” (42). Initially, these are the incidents in which global citizenship is undermined greatly and is unable to function. Huge traumatic events such as 9/11 raise a strong sense of patriotism within the hearts of a nation and thus distances itself from the rest of the global world. People become caught up in the immense pain and grief, refusing to commute or exchange interactions with other nations.

Essentially, it is not the country that initiated the attack, but they themselves that become their own obstacles. If we were to look at the issue from a global lens, then our focus wouldn’t be directed only towards the Americans that died on 9/11, but also the people that lost their lives while at war with America. We would not blindly set a target on the people we consider ‘enemies’ but consider how the issue can be resolved for the benefit of every single nation, in turn becoming true global citizens and protecting internationality.