COUNTERING TERRORISM

UNIT 11 COUNTERING TERRORISM INTRODUCTION Discussion Which terrorist groups are you familiar with? What do you understand by the word “terrorism”? Who decides if an act is “terrorism”? If an act comes from the state, e.g. a planned assassination of an opponent who the state considers a threat, is the act not “terrorism”? If something is defined as “terrorism” at one time, for example, the acts of extremist groups in Northern Ireland, should these people ever be allowed to participate in political discussions subsequently? If the “terrorists” have political motives, e.g. independence for their group or minority, does this mean they are not criminals but political prisoners if caught? Can terrorist groups that act “for nationalistic principles”, e.g. the Basque movement, ETA, continue without the support of the people they claim to represent? Who do you think the person depicted above is? A terrorist? Where do you think he comes from? Do WANTED posters have any effect? If you think he is a terrorist, with what event may he have been connected? Your teacher has information about this man. Before considering this topic it might be useful to start at the theoretical end. These texts are derived from the U.S. Army, Field manual “Stability and Support Operations”, Combatting Terrorism, Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas What do you think? Do these constitute terrorism? 1. Weapons and financial support for “freedom fighters” in their struggle for independence. 2. People sabotaging important electric and communications installations during an invasion of their country by a stronger power. 3. Nationalist separatists blowing up the ruling group’s administration buildings to reinforce their demands for independence. 4. Supplying weapons to groups opposed to a democratically and legally-elected government because it conflicts with the supplier’s ideological position. 5. Supplying equipment and installations to a “dangerous” state knowing that it may use these offensively or threateningly. Terrorism is a special type of violence. It is a tactic used in peace, conflict and war. The threat from terrorism is ever present and an attack is likely to occur when least expected. A terrorist initiates the event that marks the transition from peace to conflict or war. Combatting terrorism is a factor to consider in all military plans and operations. Combatting terrorism requires a continuous state of awareness; it is a necessary practice rather than a type of military operation. Detailed guidelines, establishing an organisational programme to combat terrorism, including preventive and protection measures and incident response planning can be found in the Joint Publication 3-07-2 (1993). terrorism is a criminal offense under nearly every national or international legal code. With few exceptions, acts of terrorism are forbidden in war as they are in times of peace. The Hague Convention (1907) and the Geneva Convention of 1949 reinforce this idea. Read the text carefully. Is there a difference between terrorism and other criminal offences? Exercise 1 TERRORISM DEFINED Complete the various parts of the definition. Terrorism is the (1) ………………………… use of violence or the threat of violence to (2)…………………fear; it is intended to (3)…………………. or intimidate governments or societies in the (4)……………………….of goals which are generally political, (5) ……………………. or (6)……………………… . This definition is carefully formulated to (7) ………………….between terrorism and other forms of violence. CHOOSE THE BEST WORD FOR EACH SPACE 1. a) special b) calculated c) considered d) intimidatory 2. a) cause b) start c) induce d) initiate 3. a) force b) compel c) coerce d) threaten 4. a) objective b) search c) accomplishment d) pursuance 5. a) religion b) philosophical c) polemic d) religious 6. a) idealistic b) illogical c) ideological d) nationalistic 7. a) differ b) distinguish c) diverge d) devolve Exercise2 JOIN THE PARTS OF THE SENTENCES TOGETHER TO COMPLETE THE TEXT A. People employ terrorism …. 1. … as terrorists generally know what they want to achieve B. The tendency to label as “terrorism” … 2. …in the name of a variety of causes. C. Terrorism is calculated… 3. …that is engendered in someone other than the victim. D. The selection of a target for terrorists… 4. …conducted for its impact on an audience E. Terrorism is intended to produce fear… 5. …is both planned and rational F. Terrorism is a psychological weapon… 6. …any violent act of which we disapprove, is erroneous. Activity 1 VOCABULARY Which words go with goals For example: to achieve goals fear (N) For example: to induce fear attack (N) For example: terrorist attack; carry out an attack on … cause (N) For example: to fight for a cause; Exercise 3 SOME HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES USE THESE WORDS TO COMPLETE THE TEXT compel/ unpredictability/ virtually/ aborted/profound/ incidental/ granted/ sought/undermine/ concessions Throughout history, extremists have practised terrorism to generate fear and to (1) __________________ a change in behaviour. Frequently, terrorism was (2) _______________________ to other forms of violent action- insurgency or war. Before the 19 th Century, terrorists usually (3) ____________________ immunity from attack to certain categories of people. Like other warriors, terrorists recognized innocent people, not involved in the conflict. Terrorists usually excluded women, children and the elderly from their activities. For example, in late 19 th Century Russia, radical planning the assassination of the Tsar, (4) __________________several attacks because they risked harming innocent people. “Old- school” terrorism was direct; it intended to produce a political effect through the injury or death of the victim. The development of bureaucratic states led to a (5) ___________________ change in terrorism. Modern governments have a continuity that older, personalistic governments did not. Terrorists found that the death of a single individual, even a monarch, did not necessarily produce the policy changes they (6) ___________________. Terrorists reacted by turning to an indirect method of attack. By the early 20t h Century, terrorists began to attack people previously considered innocents to generate political pressure. These attacks had the effect of creating a public atmosphere of anxiety and, as a result, were planned to (7)__________________ confidence in the government. The (8) ________________________ of the attacks, their apparent randomness made it (9) ____________________________impossible for governments to protect potential victims. The public demands protection that the state cannot give. Frustrated and frightened people then demand that the government make (10) _____________________ to stop the attacks. Activity 2 THE TERRORISTS Terrorists are inspired by many different motives. They may be classified into three categories: RATIONAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL OR CULTURAL. A terrorist, of course, may be shaped by all three. Decide into which category the statements may be placed. a) The terrorist thinks through his goals and options, making a cost-benefit analysis. b) “Splinter-groups” among terrorists are often more violent than their “parent” group. c) Terrorists do not even consider they may be wrong although others’ views may be assessed on merit. d) Terrorists tend to project their own anti-social motivation on others, creating a polarized “us” and “them” perspective. e) Some political systems have no effective non-violent means for changes in power structure or “succession”. f) Terrorist groups ask a crucial question: Can our actions be successful in attaining our goals without causing a backlash that will destroy the cause and perhaps our own people? g) A terrorist group must terrorise. As a minimum it must commit violent acts to maintain group self-esteem and legitimacy. h) Society generally rejects as unbelievable such actions as vendettas, self-destruction, ethnic cleansing, religious martyrdom, etc. when we observe it in others. i) When a terrorist group approaches its stated goals, it is often inclined to re-define them. j) A major determinate of terrorism is the perception of outsiders and anxiety about ethnic group survival. Fear of cultural extermination leads to violence. Can you think of authentic examples of these? For example, from Northern Ireland, from Spain, from Chechnya, from the Middle East, from North Africa …? Activity 3 READING Read the text. It is an immediate response by Noam Chomsky to the September 11 attacks.Chomsky is perhaps the most famous living linguistic scientist. He has been critical of American policy for over 30 years and is considered an extremely intelligent person, although frequently very opposed to American foreign policy. What are your reactions to this? Today's attacks were major atrocities. In terms of number of victims they do not reach the level of many others, for example, Clinton's bombing of the Sudan with no credible pretext, destroying half its pharmaceutical supplies and probably killing tens of thousands of people ( no one knows, because the US blocked an inquiry at the UN and no one cares to pursue it). Not to speak of much worse cases, which easily come to mind. But that this was a horrendous crime is not in doubt. The primary victims, as usual, were working people: janitors, secretaries, firemen, etc. It is likely to prove to be a crushing blow to Palestinians and other poor and oppressed people. It is also likely to lead to harsh security controls, with many possible ramifications for undermining civil liberties and internal freedom. The events reveal, dramatically, the foolishness of ideas about "missile defense." As has been obvious all along, and pointed out repeatedly by strategic analysts, if anyone wants to cause immense damage in the US, including weapons of mass destruction, they are highly unlikely to launch a missile attack, thus guaranteeing their immediate destruction. There are innumerable easier ways that are basically unstoppable. But today's events will, nonetheless, be used to increase the pressure to develop these systems and put them into place. "Defense" is a thin cover for plans for militarization of space, and with good PR, even the flimsiest arguments will carry some weight among a frightened public. In short, the crime is a gift to the hard jingoist right, those who hope to use force to control their domains. That is even putting aside the likely US actions, and what they will trigger -- possibly more attacks like this one, or worse. The prospects ahead are even more ominous than they appeared to be before the latest atrocities. Noam Chomsky These words may have caused some difficulty: janitor: caretaker of a building flimsy-flimsier-flimsiest : weak, without any real weight or force ( a flimsy argument or excuse) “ hard jingoistic right”: the right in politics is always considered more conservative, traditional, individual-country focused and more nationalistic; “jingoistic” is an expression which goes back to the days of the British Empire when national interests were always pursued very vigourously. Any threat to the Empire was rapidly responded to- usually by force! Which words or phrases mean …? 1. countless:_____________________________ 2. repercussions: ________________________ 3. set off/initiate a reaction or response: ______________________________ 4. without any real justification: ____________________________________ Discuss the purpose and effect of the underlined sections. READING AND DISCUSSION FORMER OFFICER ON TRIAL FOR JUSTIFYING TORTURE IN THE ALGERIAN WAR Adapted from an article by Franck Johann from “Le Monde” which appeared in “The Guardian Weekly” edition, 06 December 2001 For the first time since 1962, a high-ranking French army officer has been tried in a criminal court on charges of justifying the use of torture during the Algerian war for independence. General Paul Aussaresses, 83, whose memoirs caused a furore earlier this year, faces a jail sentence of up to five years- for his writing rather than for his actions- even though he has admitted the torture and killing of 24 suspected rebels in the eight-year conflict which ended in 1962. A Second World War resistance hero, General Aussaresses is charged with “complicity in justifying war crimes”. The actual crimes are covered by an amnesty offered in the 1960s to all French soldiers who served in Algeria. Aussaresses regrets nothing, arguing that someone had to do the dirty work in Algeria. He did it, he says, without pleasure and without pity. And he dispassionately told the story in “Services Speciaux: Algerie: 1955-1977”, which was published in June 2001. The General called his witnesses, most of them army men, many retired generals like himself – hoary, decorated, half-deaf, arthritic and full of war memories who came forward to defend their comrade. But the court also heard evidence from Henri Alleg, 80, who, during the conflict published Alger Republicain, a newspaper that was shut down by the French authorities. Alleg was arrested and tortured. During the three and a half years he spent in detention awaiting trial, he wrote The Question, a book that exposed the torture practised in French military jails during the Algerian war. His manuscript was smuggled out page by page. Alleg was tried in camera and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Giving evidence this time, he warned against a return to torture, “to barbarism in the name of civilisation, or the struggle against barbarism”. But his audiences, most of whom supported Aussaresses, were indignant. The next witness, the 71- year-old general Maurice Schmitt, was of a different calibre. A product of Saint-Cyr, the distinguished military academy, and a former prisoner at Dien Bien Phu (Vietnam), he was also army chief of staff from 1987-1991- the highest-ranking officer of his time. He got straight to the point: “Before they became terrorists, the members of the FLN (the Algerian National Liberation Front) were torturers,” he said. While it could not be denied that torture was practised in Algeria during the war, he argues that “it was the legitimate defence of a people whose lives were at risk”. And he added “If the choice is between getting my hands dirty or accepting the death of innocents, I choose to dirty my hands rather than risk losing my soul”. When he was not giving evidence, Aussaresses sat impassively. During the three-day trial he said little except to admit responsibility for everything, even for crimes he had not committed, such as personally torturing prisoners. Fabien Goget, the deputy public prosecutor observed that the plaintiffs saw the case as a trial of the Algerian war, while the defence saw it as a freedom of expression issue. “I see it as a trial of a book: when history enters a courtroom, out goes the law.” The prosecution called for the general and the two publishers of his book to be fined FF100.000 (about $13500) each. A verdict is expected in January 2002. Exercise 4 Answer TRUE or FALSE 1. The courtroom was filled with enemies of the General. 2. The prosecution was for the acts of torture. 3. The General did not deny the charges. 4. He was filled with pity when he ordered prisoners to be tortured. 5. Genaral Schmitt was supportive of Gen. Aussaresses’ actions. 6. Alleg had been tortured as a terrorist. 7. The trial and conviction of Alleg was a public scandal. 8. The deputy prosecutor thought the issue at stake was the whole conduct of the Algerian war. 9. Alleg made a statement saying torture is a barbaric act. 10. Many of the audience felt that the torture practised by the French was justified. Activity 5 What do you think? “ I choose to dirty my hands rather than risk losing my soul.” “ Someone had to do the dirty work.” “When a book enters the courtroom, out goes the law.” Use these three ideas to write a composition of about 200 words, expressing your own ideas. Exercise 5 Using the Conditional idea of a “hypothetical” or “unreal” event in the past complete these sentences in which a French officer might justify the use of torture in the Algerian war. If we hadn’t extracted information by means of torture … a) lives of many French soldiers / at risk b) innocent civilians / kill c) terrorists/ become more reckless and fanatical d) not obtain/ intelligence information e) the war / prolong f) the terrorists/ increase their demands g) the French people/ interpret / as sign of weakness h) the French army / lose confidence in / its leaders Activity 6 Discussion The issues of “war crimes”, “ethnic cleansing”, “ responsibility for the acts of others” etc. were discussed in the Adolf Eichmann trial in Israel in 1960. He had been seized by the Israeli authorities in South America and put on trial in Isreal. Charged with ordering the execution of millions of Jews, Eichmann claimed in his own defence that he was only following orders. What do you think? The trial of Slobodan Milosevic in The Hague is taking place without the defendant entering any plea to the charges (i.e. he will not ANSWER the charges) because he denies the authority of the Court to put him on trial. Does this change anything about the court’s jurisdiction? Activity 7 The media and terrorism You see these headlines 1 . TERROR TRIO READY TO BOMB LONDON UNDERGROUND 2. CYANIDE ATTACK ON LONDON UNDERGROUND: THREE CHARGED 3. LONDON UNDERGROUND UNDER ATTACK FROM ARAB TERRORISTS? 4. UNDERGROUND VULNERABLE TO POISON GAS ATTACK 5. NO END TO ARAB THREAT TO LONDON TRAVELLERS 6. ILLEGALS IN TERROR PLOT How justified are the headlines when you read the facts as reported on November 18 2002. Three On Terror Charges Three men are due in court later today charged with terrorism offences. It follows claims that a plot was thwarted by an MI5 undercover operation.Reports have said the trio planned to release highly poisonous cyanide gas in London's Underground rail system. Rabah Chekat-Bais, 21, Rabah Kadris, in his 30s, and Karim Kadouri, 33, all of no fixed abode in Britain, were arrested last week. But the men are only charged with possessing "articles for the preparation, instigation and commission of terrorism acts" under the Terrorism Act 2000 and possessing false documents. They do not face charges relating to any specific planned attack. Police say no noxious substances were found on any of the men and the Government has also sought to play down claims that the Tube was the intended target. Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott said: "In this case it doesn't appear to be any evidence whatsoever there was going to be a gas attack or indeed use of bombs regarding the three people who have been arrested." Chekat-Bais, Kadris and Kadouri were among six people arrested in north London on November 9. The arrests only came to light on Saturday night (November 16), six days after those charged had made their first appearances in court. Two of the other three were subsequently released on police bail and no further action was being taken against the final man. But media reports on Monday suggested police were hunting three more members of an alleged terrorist cell. E E x x e e r r c c i i s s e e 6 6 N N e e w w l l a a w w a a l l l l o o w w s s e e a a v v e e s s d d r r o o p p p p i i n n g g o o n n I I n n t t e e r r n n e e t t u u s s e e r r s s Listen to the recording and complete the table below. A New investigative, surveillance and legal powers 1. Make ……………………………………. 2. ……………… or …………………. suspects 3. ……………………………on Internet communication 4. monitor …………………………………… 5. obtain ……………………………………… 6. reduce the need for …………………… and court ………………………………………. B Technology developments 1. portable ……………………………………… 2. systems that can ……………………………… ……………………………………………………. C Access to personal data held by … 1. Banks 2. ……………………………………………. 3. …………………………………………… D Examples of suppression of civil liberties 1. Alien and …………… 2. Suspension of …………………………………. 3. Internment of ………………………………………………… ………………………………………………… 4. Blacklisting of ………………………………. ………………………………………………… 5. Surveillance and harrassment of .……………………………………………… Vocabulary/ expressions 1. sweeping = broad (measures, powers etc) = wide, far-reaching 2. to raise doubts/ misgivings/ concerns/ about an issue 3. to track (down) = to hunt/ pursue somebody or something 4. a freer hand 5. an array = a wide selection or collection 6. reminiscent of = similar to (reminding people of ) 7. to turn over = to hand over officially 8. to craft (the legislation) = to make/ to create Cf. to draft legislation = to make the first version of a new law Activity 8 Cause and effect What could/might/will these powers lead to? Make sentences from the box. Example Giving wider powers to the authorities should result in a reduction in terrorist threats. Giving these powers to the FBI and CIA might could will should lead to result in bring about produce cause trigger off provoke - an erosion of civil liberties - the limitation of personal freedom - an intrusion into people’s lives - the monitoring of citizens’ credit and financial activities - an interference in commercial activities - the creation of an atmosphere of mistrust - the development of new technology to bear surveillance - the build-up of a comprehensive terrorist data- base - a reduction in money laundering - leaks of private information obtained under these new powers - encrypting of communication on Internet and by e-mail [...]... suggests that after September 11, future intelligence activity a) b) c) d) requires vigourous new responses to combat terrorism means improving tried-and-tested methods X means countering self-destructive terrorism with similar approaches requires a fundamental re-appraisal of counter terrorism 1 In her view, September 11 underlined the fact that the tragic event … a) … highlighted fundamental weaknesses... chemical, biological and nuclear – can no longer be regarded as unlikely But that does not mean that a totally different approach to countering them is needed It is a case of doing what has been done before but doing more of it and doing it more effectively At the heart of countering terrorism is intelligence and the events of September 11 have focused attention on intelligence work as never before September... 7 (development) > 8 (build-up) > 9 (reduction) > 10 (leaks) > 11 (encrypting) > Activity 10 TERRORISM DID NOT START ON SEPTEMBER 11 Article by Stella Rimington, former head of M.I.5 Extract from ‘The Guardian Weekly’, September 12-18, 2002 There is one big difference in the al-Qaida threat from much previous terrorism, which makes it particularly unpredictable and dangerous The preparedness, even enthusiasm... Powers granted to law enforcement in anti -terrorism war raises misgivings for civil rights President Bush has given broad investigative and surveillance powers to law enforcement, signing legislation that is aimed at helping the authorities to track and disrupt the operations of suspected terrorists in the United States “Today we take an essential step in defeating terrorism while protecting the constitutional... September 11 underlined the fact that the tragic event … a) … highlighted fundamental weaknesses in reliable intelligence gathering b) … was indicative of an intelligence disaster c) … attached blame to anti -terrorism agencies who ignored intelligence received d)… proved America’s multi-agency approach to intelligence does not work 2 Stella Rimington states that a) b) c) d) insider-provided intelligence can... or technical sources for the full picture to be guessed at, there may well be inadequate information for effective preventive action to be taken to forestall an attack The most valuable sources against terrorism are human beings, long-term penetration agents, who will stay in place for a long period and work their way into positions where they can provide key intelligence But they are the most difficult... approved the legislation The government is moving aggressively on a number of technology fronts to collect and evaluate information about people and their movements more efficiently as it seeks to defeat terrorism The Defense Department, for instance, announced that it is seeking proposals from companies on an array of new surveillance products, such as portable polygraph machines and systems that can . UNIT 11 COUNTERING TERRORISM INTRODUCTION Discussion Which terrorist groups are you familiar with? What do you understand by the word terrorism ?. difference between terrorism and other criminal offences? Exercise 1 TERRORISM DEFINED Complete the various parts of the definition. Terrorism is the (1)