EXAMINING BLASPHEMY: INTERNATIONAL LAW, NATIONAL SECURITY AND THE U.S. FOREIGN POLICY REGARDING FREE SPEECH

摘要

Blasphemy by the west towards Islam has contributed to global unrest and instability over the last several years, and will continue to in the future. These acts by individuals, often in the United States exercising their constitutionally protected right to free speech, have resulted in national security threats to the United States and its interests around the world. However, the instability created in the Middle East and North Africa, while causing national security concerns for the United States, is not always bad. The Arab Spring is a good example of this. While it was brought on by decades of oppression, it was spurred on and organized by Internet social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. The power of the Internet and the free speech that it is able to provide can be a powerful force for good across the world.