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Plato's Dreams Realized: Surveillance and Citizen Rights, from KGB to FBI by Alexander V. Avakov offers a thought-provoking exploration of the evolution of surveillance and its profound impact on human rights and legal theory. Drawing from his unique personal experiences, Avakov examines the intrusive nature of surveillance practices, beginning with his time under the watchful eye of the KGB in the Soviet Union and later reflecting on the American national security state. This book provides a deep dive into the philosophical and legal debates surrounding the ever-growing encroachment into private lives.

Avakov starts by recounting his own experiences with KGB surveillance, providing a historical backdrop that helps readers grasp the broader implications of such practices. He then shifts focus to the American security apparatus, highlighting the ongoing tension between the lofty ideals of legal protections and the reality of their implementation, especially in the name of national security.

The book meticulously examines how modern electronic surveillance has grown, encroaching ever further on civil liberties. Avakov scrutinizes the legal and socio-political dynamics that allow these practices to continue, pointing out the disconnect between the promises of constitutional rights and their application in the real world. He discusses the socio-pathology of law in the U.S., exploring how the security state systematically undermines constitutional protections.

Avakov also delves into documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, which reveal the extent of government surveillance activities. Even though many of these documents are heavily redacted, they shed light on the vast scope of scrutiny that can be applied to everyday activities, such as writing a simple letter. This issue of transparency is central to the discussion on the implications of increased electronic surveillance.
The book includes insights from former CIA and FBI director William Webster, who shares his perspective on the use of advanced electronic surveillance to monitor "foreign agents." This commentary offers a stark glimpse into how modern surveillance technologies are utilized and the broader consequences for privacy and personal freedom.

Exploring the philosophical foundations of privacy, Avakov argues that without it, individual autonomy and freedom are severely compromised. He discusses the legal loopholes the U.S. government uses to bypass traditional privacy safeguards, such as leveraging the intelligence services of allied countries and using the Echelon system to avoid the need for formal warrants.

Further, the book examines the role of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) and the impact of the USA Patriot Act, highlighting how changes in legal standards now allow surveillance information to be used in criminal prosecutions. According to Avakov, these developments weaken the exclusionary rule and due process protections, ultimately undermining constitutional safeguards.

Avakov integrates the history of political spying in the U.S. with warnings from legal experts to present a comprehensive view of the dangers posed by electronic surveillance to human rights. He concludes with a discussion of potential solutions and recommendations for addressing these concerns, drawing from a range of publications and expert analyses.
Plato's Dreams Realized is a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of surveillance, legal theory, and human rights. Avakov’s thorough examination of both historical and contemporary surveillance practices offers valuable insights into the ongoing debate over privacy and state power. This book serves as both a critical analysis and a call to action, urging readers to reflect on the broader implications of surveillance for personal freedom and democratic values.

Plato's Dreams Realized: Surveillance and Citizen Rights, From the KGB to the FBI

Alexander V. Avakov
248 pp

S: 978-0-87586-494-5
H: 978-0-87586-495-2
ebk:978-0-87586-496-9
CQ04 CQ13 CQ09 QC01

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Alexander Avakov briefly shares his personal experiences, first in the Soviet Union with the KGB and then with the American national security state, outlines various ways in which surveillance of citizens is increasing, then examines the bases of our expectations of liberty, from Plato to the US Constitution.

America, he shows, declared high-minded legal ideals but has consistently cheated in their implementation. There is logic, tradition, and a stable modus operandi in the way the American security apparatus violates the Constitution. This book analyzes this socio-pathology of law in the U.S. with regards to national security beliefs.

About the Author:
Born in Baku in 1954 to a family of intellectuals, Alexander V. Avakov now lives in Wayne, New Jersey. The journey was not a smooth one.

Just prior to competing his graduate degree in Mathematics in the Soviet Union in 1975, he was arrested for composing and distributing subversive pamphlets compiled of quotes from official Soviet sources including Marx and Engels and the Soviet Philosophical Encyclopedia, excerpts from the US and Japanese constitutions, and a definition of due process of the law taken from a decision of the US Supreme Court. Sentenced to a year and half of hard labor, he was sent to a secret KGB-run camp with 25 other political prisoners including academics, journalists, diplomats, historians, and military men. (Avakov generously shares an extensive description of what a good old-fashioned intellectual used to read before that endangered species disappeared altogether.) He then received a one-year extrajudicial punishment for refusing to cooperate with the KGB.

In 1981 the Soviet Union allowed some of its malcontents to leave and, impressed by America s much-touted devotion to liberty, Avakov came to the United States. Writing letters to friends back home, he soon ran afoul of US officials as well. Protesting in the name of what he supposed were the inviolable rights of a private citizen, he managed in just six years to extract a 99%-censored file from the local office of the FBI, showing that indeed he had been under surveillance between 1982 and 1988. No explanations have ever been given.

Mr. Avakov, a top international consultant in computer systems, has published several books in Russian: Autobiography of a Soviet Anti-Soviet Philosopher ; Letters from Mars ; Fate of Liberalism ; New Turn of History ; and Welcome to a National Security State."
His next book, "World 2007-2008: Quality of Life, Balance of Powers, and Nuclear Weapons: A Statistical Yearbook for Statesmen and Citizens," will be released in January 2008 by Algora Publishing.