FORMULATING A GLOBALLY FEASIBLE COUNTER TERRORISM POLICY:

HISTORY:

Counter-terrorism incorporates the practice, military tactics, techniques, and strategy that government, military, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or prevent terrorism. Counter-terrorism strategies include attempts to counter financing of terrorism.If terrorism is part of a broader insurgency, counter-terrorism may employ counter-insurgency measures.

In response to the escalating terror campaign in Britain carried out by the militant Irish Fenians in the 1880s, the Home Secretary, Sir William Harcourt, established the first counter-terrorism unit ever. The Special Irish Branch was initially formed as a section of the Criminal Investigation Department of the London Metropolitan Police in 1883, to combat Irish republican terrorism through infiltration and subversion.Harcourt envisioned a permanent unit dedicated to the prevention of politically motivated violence through the use of modern techniques such as undercover infiltration. This pioneering branch was the first to be trained in counter-terrorism techniques.

Its name was changed to Special Branch as it had its remit gradually expanded to incorporate a general role in counterterrorism, combating foreign subversion and infiltrating organized crime. Law enforcement agencies, in Britain and elsewhere, established similar units. Counterterrorism forces expanded with the perceived growing threat of terrorism in the late 20th century. Specifically, after the September 11 attacks, Western governments made counter-terrorism efforts a priority, including more foreign cooperation, shifting tactics involving red teams and preventive measures.

DEFINITIONS:

There is no consensus within the international community on the definition of terrorism. Due tothe lack of a unified understanding of the term and the deadlocked long negotiations of how todefine the threat, there is an ambiguity which makes UN efforts to combat terrorism highlyunlike. However, we can come across with some common characteristics in the International lawand in several Security Council Resolutions. For instance, par. 3 of the Security CouncilResolution 1566 explains terrorist acts as those (1) “committed with the intent to cause death orserious bodily injury, or taking of hostages”. (2) “with the purpose to provoke a state of terror inthe general public or in a group of persons or particular persons, intimidate a population orcompel a government or an international organization to do or to abstain from doing any act,which (3) constitute offences within the scope of an as defined in the international conventionsand protocols relating to terrorism”.

In an attempt to unite all member states to combat terrorism under a common definition of theterm, former Secretary General Kofi Annan proposed a definition: “Any action constitutesterrorism if it is intended to cause death or serious bodily harm to civilians or non- combatantswith the purpose of intimidating a population or compelling a government or an internationalorganization to do or abstain from doing any act”. He further explained his “principled,comprehensive strategy”, which has to be the State’s common approach on the issue, based onUNSC. 2004. Security Council Acts Unanimously to Adopt Resolution Strongly Condemning Terrorism as one of most Serious Threats to Peace

Kofi Annan. 2005. Secretary- General Kofi Annan Launches Global Strategy Against Terrorism in Madrid mentioned the “five Ds”; “Dissuade disaffected groups from choosing terrorism as a tactic to achieve theirgoals; Deny terrorists the means to carry out their attacks; Deter States from supportingterrorists; Develop State capacity to prevent terrorism; Defend human rights in the struggleagainst terrorism”.

However, all these approaches are based more on general characteristics and personal beliefsrather than comprehensive and unanimously accepted legal frameworks. Most of the UNSCResolutions are referring to such common characteristics on their perambulatory clauses. Stillthough, the lack of definition ultimately leaves it up to each UN member to decide whether ornot an organization is a terrorist one. The main reason for such an ambiguity, when it comes toexplicitly defining terrorism, is the inclusion/exclusion of armed struggle for liberation and as ameans of enjoyment of their right of self-determination4

. With the General Assembly Resolution

A/RES/49/60, the United Nations reached a consensus on measures to eliminate terrorism,described in a general matter some elements of terrorism: it is unjustifiable and criminal, apossible jeopardy of friendly relations between States, a grave violation of UN Charterprinciples, a threat to international peace and security, it is intended or calculated to provoke astate of terror in the general public.

Threat/Breach of Peace, Acts of Aggression, International Peace and Security:

After the adoption of the UN Charter, there have been many discussions on the ways we candefine and interpret Article 396. Discussions have started from the classic notion of inter-statethreat of threat to national security, with the threat or use of force. With Resolutions 1373 and1540, the Security Council has made clear that international terrorism is also a phenomenon,which could be a threat to international peace and security. Another connection made was withthe notion of human security, which is defined in the 1994 UN Development Programme, whereseven elements were included: economic, health, environmental, food, community, political andphysical harm.7 To sum up, we argue that these terms must be strictly defined, as this will causedifficulties on the work of the related UN Bodies. These terms must be translated and interpreted in a case by basis, even though there are risks of exploitation for (geo) political purposes.

PREPERATION FOR THE COUNTER TERRORISM STRATEGY:

  • Command and control:

In North America and other continents, for a threatened or completed terrorist attack, the Incident Command System (ICS) is apt to be invoked to control the various services that may need to be involved in the response. ICS has varied levels of escalation, such as might be needed for multiple incidents in a given area (e.g., the 2005 bombings in London or the 2004 Madrid train bombings, or all the way to a National Response Plan invocation if national-level resources are needed. National response, for example, might be needed for a nuclear, biological, radiological, or large chemical attack.

  • Damage mitigation:

Fire departments, perhaps supplemented by public works agencies, utility providers (e.g., gas, water, electricity), and heavy construction contractors, are most apt to deal with the physical consequences of an attack.

  • Local security:

Again under an incident command model, local police can isolate the incident area, reducing confusion, and specialized police units can conduct tactical operations against terrorists, often using specialized counter-terrorist tactical units. Bringing in such units will normally involve civil or military authority beyond the local level.

  • Medical services:

Emergency medical services will triage, treat, and transport the more seriously affected victims to hospitals, which will also need to have mass casualty and triage plans in place.Public health agencies, from local to national level, may be designated to deal with identification, and sometimes mitigation, of possible biological attacks, and sometimes chemical or radiologic contamination.

EXAMPLES OF INTERNATIONAL COUNTER TERRORIST AGENCIES:

  • India: Rashtriya Rifles, NSG, NIA, Anti-Terrorist Squad, Force One, Thunderbolt, state/local Police SWAT teams
  • Indonesia: Detachment 88 (Police), Satuan 81/Gultor (Army)+, Detachment Bravo 90+ (Air Force), Jala Mengkara Detachment+ (Navy)
  • Japan: Special Assault Team (Japanese Police), Special Security Team (Japan Coast Guard), Central Readiness Force (JGDSF)
  • Pakistan: Special Service Group, Pakistan Army Rangers, Elite Police Commandos, Counter Terrorism Department
  • Russia: Spetsgruppa A, Vympel, OMON, Spetsnaz GRU, Vityaz, Rus, SOBR
  • United States: FBI Counter-terrorism Special Agents, FBI Hostage Rescue Team, FBI Special Weapons and Tactics Teams, (FBI SWAT) Federal Air Marshal Service, Delta Force, (US Army), Naval Special Warfare Development Group, CIA Special Activities Division, (SAD) Diplomatic Security Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, BORTAC, state/local Police SWAT teams

Possible Solutions:

The overall goal of global efforts is to prevent and stop terrorism to make a safer world.The General Assembly needs to create an effective counter-terrorism strategy thatconsiders the Internet and the challenges of dealing with non-state actors.Since the 2005 September World Summit, the need to combat terrorism has beenuniversally accepted, but the world needs a clear plan to stop terrorism.

Defining Terrorism:

Terrorism generally is the use of violence against civilians meant to achieve politicalgoals. There is not a clear definition of exactly what terrorism is. A working definitionmust identify who perpetrates terrorism, against whom, under what circumstances, forwhat purpose, and whatever else the body deems necessary. Considering specific casesof political violence can identify key points but opinions may differ widely among states.

Weapons of Mass Destruction:

The potential for terrorist organizations to do harm has increased with technologicaladvances. Starting in the Second World War, nuclear weapons became one of the mostpotentially destructive forces on Earth.While it is unlikely for terrorists to build a bomb of their own, they may acquire onethrough state sponsors or through poorly secured facilities that exist in countries thatviolate or are not part of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.Similarly, terrorist groups could also acquire biological or chemical weapons. To addressthese issues, the committee can try to regulate weapons of mass destruction inconjunction with international organizations such as the IAEA, IMO, and ICAO.

Technological Threats:

In the past few years, cyber-terrorism has been a growing concern. Terrorists canorganize via the Internet and conduct attacks that mess up energy grids or informationsystems within the government or financial sector. However, information technologycan also help law enforcement easily track terrorists.Following the release of classified government documents on Wikileaks and the USAPatriot Act, the collection of this data poses issues regarding the extent to which libertyis being compromised for security. States must also decide the extent to which they willcollaborate and share information about potential cyber threats.

Deterring Terrorism:

One option for deterring non-state actors is to carry out a decapitation strategy, takingout the leader of a terrorist network. While this is potentially devastating and a relativelycheap option, it can be difficult to achieve and cause even more extremist rulers to cometo power. Physically locating terrorists can be equally difficult. By disrupting terroristacquisition of weapons and funding, states can stop attacks before they start and avoidmajor civil liberties issues, but this strategy is ineffective with non-state agents who donot receive support from any states.

Development:

Eradicating the conditions conducive to terrorism may, in the long run, be an effectivestrategy to generally reduce the amount of terrorism in the world. Building on both theMillennium and Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nations can seek toeradicate poverty and promote sustained economic growth as a counter-terrorismstrategy. They can also seek to promote tolerance for all religious beliefs and democraticvalues. While these methods are favorable because they raise the standard of living forpeople, they are incredibly expensive. Moreover, the leaders of terrorist organizationstend not to be in the lower income brackets of their countries, they actually tend to berather wealthy. Finally, there is some evidence that rising democracy abroad hasreduced terrorism to an extent, but it generally may not be forced upon a state withsuccessful results.

Terrorism is a truly global issue, as people anywhere may choose to use violence toachieve political goals. According to the U.S. Department of State, there were 9,707terrorist attacks in 2013, resulting in 17,891 dead, 32,577 wounded, and 2,990 takenhostage. Yet the effects of these attacks extends beyond the casualty count. Terrorismincreases anxiety in the public sphere, which depresses tourism, foreign directinvestments, stock markets, and may drive states to extreme reactions of their own.

For the sake of global security, the international economy, and the people of the world,the United Nations must seek to address this issue from both the security anddevelopment perspectives. Previous counter terrorism efforts have been relativelyineffective and so delegates must identify existing issues and resolve them, withparticular attention given to the modern developments that have occurred. Failing that,the world has the potential to experience violence spiraling out of control, disruptingpreviously safe countries around the world.

QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED:

● What should be the definition of non-state terrorism?

● What methods of combating non-state terrorism are most effective?

● What are the root causes of non-state terrorism and how can they be solved?

● How can the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy be improved andupdated to consider recent developments?

● Is terrorism an issue best targeted on the international, regional, or state level?