 How Can Democratic Policing Principles Be Utilized in Counter Terrorism?
One of the goals of terrorist organizations is to create conflict within society and between society and the government. They seek to provoke the public into insurgency against the legitimate governmental authority or to provoke the government against the civilians. The fear and panic created by terrorist attacks are sought to force governments to take harsh measures against the terrorists and put constraints on public life. The attempts of terrorist organizations to incite overreactions make governments appear repressive, which in turn, can be used by terrorist organizations for propaganda to undermine governmental authority. Some decades ago, Fromkin (1975) pointed out such strategy of terrorism noting that terrorism achieves its goal not ,through its acts but through the response to its acts. He contends that “terror can accomplish nothing in terms of political goals; it can only aim at obtaining a response that will achieve those goals for it” (p. 689). Elaborating the French government’s policies in 1950s towards the Algerian National Liberation Front (NLF), Fromkin (1975) discusses how brutality – as an induced governmental response – can boomerang and eventually undermine governmental authority. Spain’s response to ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna or “Basque Homeland and Freedom”) or the Peruvian response to Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) also show how terrorist organizations benefited from indiscriminate and harsh governmental response (Baynard, 2005; Ron, 2001). Similarly, Durna and Hancerli (2007) identify traces of a comparable pattern in Turkey’s response to PKK (Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan - Kurdistan Workers Party) terrorism over the last two decades. Preserving human rights and civil liberties and yet addressing terrorism has been a challenge in democratic countries. To some extent, it becomes inevitable to take security measures against terrorism that would constrain civil liberties. However, those security measures should take place in the rule of law and should avoid doing what the terrorists want. Focusing on the effects of PKK terrorism in Turkey, this article discusses how principles of democratic policing can be utilized as part of a broader counter terrorism strategy. Although terrorist organizations have distinct motives (i.e., ethnic separatism, establishing religious or ideological order), the impacts of their acts among societies might be quite similar across countries. Moreover, responses to different terrorist threats by governments might share similar characteristics. I believe that incorporating principles of democratic policing into counter terrorism strategies will provide governments a valuable tool to address the conflict and tension created through long lasting struggles against terrorism. Read complete article... |
