Terrorism versus democracy : the liberal state response

256 Pages·2011·2.469 MB·English

by  Paul Wilkinson

Terrorism versus Democracy
This book examines the terrorist networks that operate globally and analyses the
long-term future of terrorism and terrorist-backed insurgencies.
Terrorism remains a serious problem for the international community. The
global picture does not indicate that the ‘war on terror’, which President George
W. Bush declared in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, has been won. On the other
hand it would be incorrect to assume that Al Qaeda, its affiliates and other jihadi
groups have won their so-called ‘holy war’ against the Coalition against Terrorism
formed after 9/11.
This new edition gives more attention to the political and strategic impact of
modern transnational terrorism, theneedformaximuminternationalcooperation
by law-abiding states to counter not only direct threats to the safety and security
oftheir owncitizensbut also to preserveinternational peace and securitythrough
strengthening counter-proliferation and cooperative threat reduction (CTR).
This book is essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students of
terrorism studies, political science and international relations, as well as for policy
makers and journalists.
Paul Wilkinson is Emeritus Professor of International Relations and Chairman

of the Advisory Board of the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political
Violence (CSTPV) at the University of St Andrews. He is author of several books
onterrorismissuesandwasco-founderoftheleadinginternationaljournal,Terrorism
and Political Violence.
Series: Political Violence
Series Editors: Paul Wilkinson and David Rapoport
This book series contains sober, thoughtful and authoritative academic accounts
of terrorism and political violence. Its aim is to produce a useful taxonomy of
terror and violence through comparative and historical analysis in both national
and international spheres. Each book discusses origins, organisational dynamics
and outcomes of particular forms and expressions of political violence.
Aviation Terrorism and Security
Edited by Paul Wilkinson and Brian M. Jenkins
Counter-Terrorist Law and Emergency Powers in
the United Kingdom, 1922–2000
Laura K. Donohue
The Democratic Experience and Political Violence
Edited by David C. Rapoport and Leonard Weinberg
Inside Terrorist Organizations
Edited by David C. Rapoport

The Future of Terrorism
Edited by Max Taylor and John Horgan
The IRA, 1968–2000
An Analysis of a Secret Army
J. Bowyer Bell
Millennial Violence
Past, Present and Future
Edited by Jeffrey Kaplan
Right-Wing Extremism in the Twenty-First
Century
Edited by Peter H. Merkl and Leonard Weinberg
Terrorism Today
Christopher C. Harmon
The Psychology of Terrorism
John Horgan
Research on Terrorism: Trends, Achievements
and Failures
Edited by Andrew Silke
A War of Words
Political Violence and Public Debate in Israel
Gerald Cromer
Root Causes of Suicide Terrorism
Globalization of Martyrdom
Edited by Ami Pedahzur
Terrorism versus Democracy
The Liberal State Response, 3rd Edition
Paul Wilkinson
Countering Terrorism and WMD
Creating a Global Counter-Terrorism Network
Edited by Peter Katona, Michael Intriligator and John Sullivan
Mapping Terrorism Research
State of the Art, Gaps and Future Direction
Edited by Magnus Ranstorp
The Ideological War on Terror
World-Wide Strategies for Counter-Terrorism
Edited by Anne Aldis and Graeme P. Herd
The IRA and Armed Struggle
Rogelio Alonso
Homeland Security in t he UK
Future Preparedness for Terrorist Attack since 9/11
Edited by Paul Wilkinson
Terrorism Today, 2nd Edition
Christopher C. Harmon
Understanding Terrorism and Political Violence
The Life Cycle of Birth, Growth, Transformation, and Demise
Dipak K. Gupta
Global Jihadism
Theory and Practice
Jarret M. Brachman
Combating Terrorism in Northern Ireland
Edited by James Dingley
Leaving Terrorism Behind
Individual and Collective Disengagement
Edited by Tore Bjørgo and John Horgan
Unconventional Weapons and International Terrorism
Challenges and New Approaches
Edited by Magnus Ranstorp and Magnus Normark
International Aviation and Terrorism
Evolving Threats, Evolving Security
John Harrison
Walking Away from Terrorism
John Horgan
Understanding Violent Radicalisation
Terrorist and Jihadist Movements in Europe
Edited by Magnus Ranstorp
Terrorist Groups and the New Tribalism
Terrorism’s Fifth Wave
Jeffrey Kaplan
Negotiating With Terrorists
Strategy, Tactics and Politics
Edited by I. William Zartman and Guy Olivier Faure
Explaining Terrorism
Causes, Processes and Consequences
Martha Crenshaw
The Psychology of Counter-Terrorism
Edited by Andrew Silke
Terrorism and the Oly mpics
Major Event Security and Lessons for the Future
Anthony Richards, Peter Fussey and Andrew Silke
Terrorism, Identity and Legitimacy
The Four Waves Theory and Political Violence
Edited by Jean E. Rosenfeld
Terrorism versus
Democracy
The liberal state response
Third edition
Paul Wilkinson
Firstpublished2001
byRoutledge
Secondeditionpublished2006
byRoutledge
Thirdeditionpublished2011
byRoutledge
2ParkSquare,MiltonPark,Abingdon,OxonOX144RN
SimultaneouslypublishedintheUSAandCanada
byRoutledge
270MadisonAvenue,NewYork,NY10016
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2011.
To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.
© 2001, 2006, 2011 Paul Wilkinson
TherightofPaulWilkinsontobeidentifiedasauthorofthisworkhasbeen
assertedbyhiminaccordancewithsections77and78oftheCopyright,
DesignsandPatentsAct1988.
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereprintedorreproducedor
utilisedinanyformorbyanyelectronic,mechanical,orothermeans,now
knownorhereafterinvented,includingphotocopyingandrecording,orinany
informationstorageorretrievalsy stem,withoutpermissioninwritingfromthe
publishers.
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData
AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData
Wilkinson,Paul,1937-
Terrorismversusdemocracy:theliberalstateresponse/PaulWilkinson.–
3rded.
p.cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
1.Terrorism–Prevention.2.Democracy.3.Liberalism.
4.Terrorism–Prevention–Governmentpolicy.I.Title.
HV6431.W5642011
363.325’156–dc22
2010030733
ISBN 0-203-83231-0 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN13: 978-0-415-58800-3 (hbk)
ISBN13:978-0-415-58799-0(pbk)
ISBN13:978-0-203-83231-8(ebk)
Contents
Preface ix
Acknowledgements x
Glossary of terrorist groups xi
Introduction to the third edition 1
1 Terrorism, insurgency and asymmetrical conflict:
introduction to the concept of terrorism 4
2 The emergence of modern terrorism: liberal democracies
and the emergence of modern terrorism 22
3 Origins and key characteristics of Al Qaeda 41
4 Terrorist-backed insurgencies 49
5 Politics, diplomacy and peace processes: pathways out
of terrorism? 64
6 Law-enforcement, criminal justice and the
liberal state 75
7 The role of the military in combating terrorism 101
8 Hostage-taking, sieges and problems of response 112
9 Aviation security 129
10 The media and terrorism 149
11 International cooperation against terrorism: the evolution
of international cooperation 163
viii Contents
12 The future of terrorism 182
13 Conclusion: towards a response to terrorism based on
democratic principles and respect for human rights 194
Notes 212
Bibliography and further reading 224
Index 234
Preface
John Adams, the second president of the United States, wrote to his wife: ‘I must
study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and
philosophy’. Sadly this advice has not always been followed by his successors or
byallthepoliticalleadersofotherdemocracies.Itisasadreflectionthatinfuture
our political leaders will need to study terrorism and to think deeply about
how democracies should respond to both domestic and international terrorism.
My hope is that my book will help to stimulate this process and encourage and
assist those engaged in security studies in the universities and those serving in the
security professions.
The first edition of my book was published ten months before 11 September
2001 (or 9/11). In this third edition I include a critical assessment of President
George W. Bush’s ‘War on Terror’, and conclude that fundamental mistakes in
responding to terrorism can end up strengthening terrorism and create further
threats to international peace and security and human rights. There is a new
chapterontheproblemsfacingPresidentObamainhisattemptstoextricatetheUS
from his predecessor’s legacy. The wider lessons for democratic and international
response are surveyed. The strengths and limitations of influential ‘models’ of
response are compared, e.g. military response, political pathways out of terrorism

and the criminal justice response. I remain convinced not only that the liberal
state response I advocated in the first and second editions is morally sound but
also that democratic countries working closely together with the wider interna-
tional community can succeed in unravelling the Al Qaeda network of cells and
affiliates without sacrificing the rule of law and the protection of basic human
rights in the process. On the contrary, if liberal democracies failed to act firmly
and courageously against terrorists who are explicitlycommitted to themasskilling
ofcivilianstheywouldbeguiltyoffailingtoupholdthemostbasichumanrightof
all, the right to life itself.
Paul Wilkinson
St Andrews
August 2010