The tension between security and liberty is rooted in Liberalism. It enables states to arbitrarily arrogate power in the name of national security which, in the contemporary context, can result in creeping authoritarianism, deepening the politics of fear, and creating an historically unprecedented global surveillance network. Liberalism is problematized to understand securitization and how the 'other' is targeted in different contexts: war on terror, as migrants/refugees, even in public health measures during COVID-19. (Global)