This publication of the SSI of the U.S Army War College addresses the security, stability, transition, and reconstruction missions that place the most pressure on interagency communication and coordination.
The EU ministers responsible for internal security convened in London to discuss counter-terrorism and aviation security with British Home Secretary John Reid and EU Commissioner responsible for Justice, Freedom and Security Franco Frattini. The document emphasises the need for delivery of the existing EU’s strategy to combat terrorism, both at the Union and Member State level
The Legal Affairs Committee of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) has presented this document which shows collusion of the Council of Europe member states with the U.S. clandestine “spider’s web” of disappearances, secret detentions and unlawful inter-state transfers. The committee said hundreds of persons had become entrapped in this web – in some cases when they were merely suspected of sympathising with a presumed terrorist organisation. (See also Draft Resolution and recommendation)
The Weapons of Mass Destruction Commision (WMDC) -chaired by Hans Blix- has presented this report to the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. The document analyses the threats under which the world is living today -above all, 27 000 nuclear weapons and efforts by individual states and perhaps terrorist groups to develop or obtain different kinds of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. It also contains sixty concrete proposals on how the world could be freed of weapons of terror
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan report -presented to the 191 members of the General Assembly on 2 May- includes recommendations for a comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy and the reinforcement of the UN capacities based on five “D’s”: dissuading people from resorting to terrorism or supporting it; denying terrorists the means to carry out an attack; deterring states from supporting terrorism; developing State capacity to defeat terrorism; and defending human rights
The Fund for Peace, an independent research organisation, and FOREIGN POLICY magazine have presented the second annual Failed States Index. Using 12 social, economic, political and military indicators, it ranks 148 states in order of their vulnerability to violent internal conflict and societal dysfunction
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) report examines topics associated with the current state of the radical Islamic threat, like the dynamics of radicalization, the role of the Internet as both an ideological and operation tool, the perception of the Iraq conflict in the minds of the Muslim diaspora and the dynamic between local grievances and the global jihadist movement
The Conference -held from 15 to 16 March 2006- was organized by the Ministry of Finance of the Netherlands and hosted by minister Gerrit Zalm. Knowledge and experience were exchanged between financial representatives and professionals from more than 41 countries.The document outlines that “the partnership of the financial sector (not only banks but also insurance industry, securities industry, money remitters and others) is key in an effective fight against the financing of terrorism and with that an effective fight against terrorism”
European Commission Vice President Franco Frattini, Commissioner for Justice, Freedom & Security, issued this open letter on the second anniversary of the Madrid train bombings -"the most deadly terrorist attack in Europe"- and the second European Day commemorating the victims of terrorism. Mr. Frattini expresses solidarity with the victims of terrorist attacks in Madrid, London and around the world. Also, he sets out the European Union’s continuing efforts to fight against terrorism
The story of attempts to define “terrorism” in international law is well known, as are the related attempts to exempt liberation violence from any definition of terrorism. The highly charged political atmosphere surrounding international discussions of terrorism has tended to entrench opposing ideological and rhetorical positions, often leading to neither side taking the arguments of the other seriously. This article pauses to take seriously two specific claims of justification for terrorist violence: firstly, that some civilians are not “innocent” and deserve to be killed; and secondly, that suicide bombing is excused by the defense of necessity.
The countries of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership, guided by the principles and objectives of the Barcelona Declaration, are united in the struggle against terrorism. The threat that terrorism poses to the lives of our citizens remains serious and terrorist attacks seriously impair the enjoyment of human rights. We remain determined to strengthen co-operation and co-ordination to respond to this global challenge. Today, we reiterate our total condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and our determination to eradicate it and to combat its sponsors.
Recent terrorist attacks in England, Iraq, Turkey and elsewhere, as well as the anniversaries of 9/11 four years ago and of the Beslan school massacre last year have all been stark reminders that the fight against terrorism must remain high on the Alliance’s agenda. Terrorism has not always figured so prominently among NATO’s security concerns (NATO Review, Autumn 2005)
On October 11th, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a letter between two senior al Qa'ida leaders, Ayman al-Zawahiri and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, that was obtained during counterterrorism operations in Iraq. This lengthy document provides a comprehensive view of al Qa'ida's strategy in Iraq and globally. The letter from al-Zawahiri to al-Zarqawi is dated July 9, 2005. The contents were released only after assurances that no ongoing intelligence or military operations would be affected by making this document public.
In a world where war, terrorism and humanitarian crises can seem all-pervasive, the Human Security Report offers a rare message of hope. Drawing on research from around the world, this farranging study reveals that for more than three decades positive changes have been quietly taking place. The Human Security Report argues that peace and development are two sides of the same coin—that equitable development helps build security, while war is ‘development in reverse’.
Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern have released a joint statement welcoming the IRA’s announcement to end its armed campaign. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the Good Friday Agreement. They said: “The two Governments are commited to its full implementation. It is our intention to work closely in partnership to grasp this opportunity to inject renewed momentum into the process”.
"The leadership of Oglaigh nah Eireann has formally ordered an end to the armed campaign. This will take effect from 4pm this afternoon. All IRA units have been ordered to dump arms. All Volunteers have been instructed to assist the development of purely political and democratic programmes through exclusively peaceful means. Volunteers must not engage in any other activities whatsoever…."
The UK’s armed forces and police have gained invaluable experience and expertise in counterterrorism through three decades of involvement in the effort to suppress terrorism in Northern Ireland and its overspill into the British mainland. It is hardly surprising that this understandable preoccupation with terrorism related to Northern Ireland diverted the attention of Britain’s intelligence agencies away from international terrorism. Until 7 July 2005 the only significant international terrorist attack on the UK homeland which MI5 and MI6 and the police had to deal with was the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie in December 1988, but once the US and UK authorities had completed their investigation of the Lockerbie bombing and indicted two Libyan agents in 1991, British counter-terrorism efforts were almost entirely concentrated on the IRA’s bombing campaign, and then, in the late 1990s, on combating the hard-line opponents of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement who continued to employ terrorism.
Concerns over Islamic extremism, extensive in the West even before this month's terrorist attacks in London, are shared to a considerable degree by the publics in several predominantly Muslim nations surveyed. Nearly three-quarters of Moroccans and roughly half of those in Pakistan, Turkey and Indonesia see Islamic extremism as a threat to their countries. At the same time, most Muslim publics are expressing less support for terrorism than in the past. Confidence in Osama bin Laden has declined markedly in some countries and fewer believe suicide bombings that target civilians are justified in the defense of Islam. (Pew Global Attitudes)
The Council adopted a Declaration condemning the terrorist attacks on London: “The Council of the European Union condemns the terrorist attacks on London. Considers that the attacks are an affront to universal values on which the European Union is based.”
Map and Chronology of London Bombs
EU Action Plan against Terrorism on the recommendation to the European Council and to the Council on the EU anti-terrorism Action Plan
"We condemn utterly these barbaric attacks. We send our profound condolences to the victims and their families. All of our countries have suffered from the impact of terrorism. Those responsible have no respect for human life. We are united in our resolve to confront and defeat this terrorism that is not an attack on one nation, but on all nations and on civilised people everywhere."
"It is important that those engaged in terrorism realise that our determination to defend our values and our way of life is greater than their determination to cause death and destruction to innocent people in a desire to impose extremism on the world."
A London morning that began tinged with joy and incredulity at victory in securing the Olympic Games was plunged into horrified disbelief as explosives tore through the underground arteries of the city, bringing death and dismay where, a few hours earlier, there had been celebration.
The proposal includes: “That a European unit responsible for policies designed to assist the victims of terrorism be created under the direct authority and responsibility of the European Anti-Terrorism Coordinator. This unit will be a reference point for European policy in this field and its purpose will be to take in, listen to, inform and assist victims and to promote implementation of the measures which are necessary if it is to operate successfully.”
Better ways are needed to understand how terrorist groups become more effective and dangerous. Learning is the link between what a group wants to do and its ability to actually do it; therefore, a better understanding of group learning might contribute to the design of better measures for combating terrorism. This study analyzes current understanding of group learning and the factors that influence it and outlines a framework that should be useful in present analytical efforts and for identifying areas requiring further study.
The participating states at the Counter terrorism international Conference held in Riyadh stress the fact that any international efforts will not be sufficient to effectively combat the terrorism phenomenon, if not conducted within the framework of joint actions and an all-inclusive strategic vision. In this respect, they support and adopt the proposal made by HRH the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which called for the establishment of an International Counter-Terrorism Centre
Spain is right to fight terrorism through the criminal justice system, but its counterterrorism measures still infringe basic rights of suspects charged with terrorist acts, Human Rights Watch said in recent report. The 65-page report, “Setting an Example?: Counter-Terrorism Measures in Spain,” analyzes aspects of Spain’s criminal law and procedures that fall short of its commitments under international human rights law. Problematic practices include the use of incommunicado detention and secret legal proceedings, limitations on the right to a lawyer during the initial period of detention, and lengthy periods of pre-trial detention.
Morocco's campaign against suspected Islamist militants is undermining the significant human rights progress the country has made in recent years, Human Rights Watch said in a new report
September 9/11, 2001, was a day of unprecedented shock and suffering in the history of the United States. The nation was unprepared. How did this happen, and how can we avoid such tragedy again? To answer these questions, the Congress and the President created the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States
Declaration by the European Council of 25 March as a result of the terrorist attacks in Madrid. The Union and its member States declare their commitment to do all in their power to combat any form of terrorism in accordance with the Union's fundamental principles and the provisions of the UN Charter
On 23 January, US troops arrested Hassan Ghul in Baghdad. He was accused of being a member of the terrorist organization al-Qaida. During the same operation, a computer belonging to Ghul was found to have a file supposedly written by Al Zarqawi, a Jordanian rebel with links to al-Qaida, in which he advocated the fomenting of confrontations between Shiites and Sunnites as part of a strategy of destabilization that would lead to the outbreak of civil war in Iraq. The document was made public on Monday, 9 February by the US authorities although its authenticity is still being verified
Many early observers of our democracy predicted that public opinion would be fickle, making democratic governance and particularly the prosecution of war difficult. The data below contradict that assumption. Americans are never spoiling for a fight. But once convinced of the justness of a cause, they are resolute. They give their Presidents considerable latitude in the conduct of foreign policy once a basic level of trust has been established. The magnitude of the 9/11 attacks, the personal response of President Bush, and the response of his team gave the administration instant credibility in an area where the President previously had average marks
