Elastic Empire: Refashioning War through Aid in Palestine

The US integrated counterterrorism mandates into its aid flows in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during the early years of the global war on terror, leading to a normalized securitized model of aid. Elastic Empire by Andrew Hurley reveals how foreign aid has multiplied the sites and means through which Palestinian life is regulated, surveilled, and policed, offering a novel accounting of the US security state.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 12 December 2023
Publisher: Stanford University Press

The United States integrated counterterrorism mandates into its aid flows in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during the early years of the global war on terror. Some two decades later, this securitized model of aid has become normalized across donor intervention in Palestine.

Elastic Empire: How Foreign Aid Multiplies the Sites and Means of Palestinian Life Regulation, Surveillance, and Policing explores the profound impact of foreign aid on the daily lives of the Palestinian population. This book delves into the intricate ways in which aid has become intertwined with the US security state, shaping and transforming the lives of individuals and communities in Palestine.

Drawing on extensive research conducted in Palestine, Elastic Empire offers a novel accounting of the US security state. Rather than relying on traditional military means, this war is waged through the interlacing of aid and law. It manifests in the infrastructures of daily life, from greenhouses and libraries to the collection of personal information and mapping of land plots. It permeates the halls of municipal councils and local elections, leaving an indelible mark on the lives of those affected.

Situated in a landscape where the lines between humanitarianism and the global war on terror are increasingly blurred, Elastic Empire unveils the shape-shifting nature of contemporary imperial formations, their realignments, reformulations, haunted sites, and intimate forms. The book sheds light on the ways in which foreign aid has become a tool for surveillance, control, and repression, perpetuating cycles of violence and marginalization.

Elastic Empire is a crucial contribution to our understanding of the complex dynamics between aid, security, and imperialism in the Middle East. It challenges the conventional narratives that portray the US as a benevolent actor in the region and exposes the darker side of its intervention. By highlighting the ways in which aid has become a weapon in the hands of the US security state, the book offers a path toward a more equitable and sustainable future for Palestine and the broader region.

Weight: 438g
Dimension: 152 x 229 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781503637511