Counter terrorism

This edited volume questions the widespread resort to illiberal security practices by contemporary liberal regimes since 9/11, and argues that counter-terrorism is embedded into the very logic of the fields of politics and security. Although recent debate surrounding civil rights and liberties in post-9/11 Europe has focused on the forms, provisions and legal consequences of security-led policies, this volume takes an inter-disciplinary approach to explore how these policies have come to generate illiberal practices. The book argues ...

Though the Maoist remain at a strategic disadvantage in their fight against SFs and there is no imminent threat of their re-establishing their dominance in the areas they have lost, occasional and major ‘successes’ of the kind witnessed on April 3 are bound to boost the sagging morale of their cadres and are likely to help the outfit to continue its fight to regain ground. The SFs will have to overcome the existing deficiencies in their operational mechanism. The battle is far from over and will linger on, as the political dispensation continues to lack the will and the capabilities to find a lasting solution.

The Expanding Terrorist Threat in Africa
Extremist groups provide a stipend to live on, health treatment for the recruit's family, status within the community and a sense of purpose. Extremists find a ready and willing audience in regions where the government is ineffectual and corrupt.

The paper examines the process of securitization of Islam in Central Asia within three sectors, namely, military, political and societal. It argues that securitization is not merely a speech act, it also is an associated political process that affects the adoption of laws related to traditions, freedom of conscience, religious associations, public organizations, political parties and security policy. The article presents the methods that were used to construe various notions of Islam as a threat. The prerequisites of this policy are deconstructed and analyzed, along with its consequences for the political system and the reproduction of authoritarianism in the states under scrutiny. The theory of securitization is presented in the beginning of the article. The second part examines the military sphere, where Islamic radicalism is portrayed as a threat to the security of the state, population, territorial integrity and military potential. The next part examines the political sphere, where Islamic radicalism is said to threaten the sovereignty of the state, its institutions, and the stability and sustainability of the social order. The final part of the paper focuses on the discourse and practice within the societal sector, which touches upon issues in which Islamic radicalism threatens collective identity, language, and culture.

This poster addresses the employment of the Armed Forces in homeland security tasks. Unconventional conflicts – hybrid, asymmetric, and transnational conflicts which involve state and non-state actors such as insurgents or terrorist organizations – are among the trend topics of defense and security.  Since jihadist terrorism broke out in in Europe, security has become a main concern, occupying the front pages of newspapers and the agendas of governments. Therefore, the debate on the employment of the Armed Forces in homeland security tasks became central.

The primary responsibility for protecting life and property and maintaining law and order in the civilian community is vested in police forces; supplementary responsibility is vested by statute in specific agencies other than the Ministry of Defense. Military forces may be used to support law enforcement agencies. In emergency situations, the Parliament may authorize the use of the military as a police force on home soil.

Police departments are much larger in major metropolitan areas and much smaller than the average in rural areas, but in catastrophic attacks that affect large areas in several states simultaneously, there will not be enough police officers to do what has to be done. Since lateral reinforcement is not feasible when all adjacent areas are involved, the only source of augmentation for local departments will be from the Armed Forces.

Subsidiary operations of the Amy in support to civil authorities – e.g. military aid in the event of a catastrophe – are one of the ordinary duties of the Army, whose main mission is to ensure security and defense of the territory. Although the readiness of use for the defense of the territory is reduced, the maintenance and development of this important primary mission is to guard the long-term, in anticipation of events imponderables in the military and security policy.

In Western liberal-democracies the executive power is limited in the use of the military in domestic security operations because of legal norms. Police is in charge of internal security, with the Army acting as ‘reinforcing force’ only in conjunction with the first. Subsidiary operations of the Army in the field of homeland security have increased over the past few years and in many countries  is currently underway a political debate to evaluate the allocation of the Army direct powers in policing. It is a political decision, which must take into account both the changing environment in which the Armed Forces operate and the threat of international terrorism manifested in disruptive manner at the beginning of the new millennium. Legislative and cultural obstacles should be overcome to achieve this goal.