Intelligence And Human Rights In The Era Of Global Terrorism

Description:
Facing the threats posed by suicide bombers, democratic governments have hard choices to make. They must uphold the basic values of democratic societies based on due process and human rights, but they need to pre-empt the kind of destruction inflicted upon New York, Madrid, London, and Bali. This book argues that for intelligence organisations to face up to the challenges of global terrorism, they must change the way they think, and utilise all their resources effectively and creatively. Winning the hearts and minds of the terrorists' pool of potential recruits will be essential to cutting off the supply of suicide bombers. If a government and its intelligence services become so focused on preempting terrorist attacks that they infringe on the rights of their citizens, they unwittingly fall into a trap set by Al Qaeda, whose aim is to destroy the democratic way of life, and to incite the Muslim populations in democratic countries. This book therefore addresses not only the question of how intelligence organisations can improve their effectiveness, but also the wider issue of removing the forces that sustain global terrorism. The general public in the target countries and recruiting grounds must also be persuaded that - despite their rhetoric - the terrorists are not engaged in a holy war. Al Qaeda is merely a global syndicate that commits serious crimes of a particularly heinous nature. It is up to governments, civil society, and the media in different parts of the world to work together if the evidence unearthed by national intelligence services is to be accepted by the general public. Unless the emotional or quasi-religious appeal of the global terrorists can be removed, the simple arrest of bin Laden and his close associates - or even the destruction of Al Qaeda as an organization - will not be sufficient to prevent others from rising to replace them.

Author Biography:
STEVE TSANG is University Reader in Politics and Louis Cha Senior Research Fellow at St. Antony's College, Oxford University, where he is also Director of the Pluscarden Programme for the Study of Global Terrorism and Intelligence.