Biopower and the Militarization of the Police Function Dominic Corva

Abstract

In Multitude, Hardt and Negri explain imperialism, in the context of Empire, as part of the globalization of war as biopower. They note that the police function and the war function are increasingly indistinguishable in the context of Empire, and then proceed to analyze the biopoliticization of the war function. This review examines instead the transnational militarization of the police function through the U.S. war on drugs in the Americas, arguing that the widespread consent to this U.S.-catalyzed process may shed more light on the globalization of war as biopower, and possibilities for its resistance.