Stronger Teeth Needed For Counter-Terrorism Measures

By Victor Comras

The London bombing brought home once again the fact that radical Islamic terrorism poses a severe and present danger. The attack produced renewed calls for urgent action at the local, EU and international level. Britain�s first actions were directed at protecting the homeland and capturing the culprits. Beyond that, they called on European colleagues and the international community to speed up effective implementation of agreed counter-terrorism measures. These include measures to better target the resources that support and finance terrorist organizations. A draft plan to co-ordinate European efforts in this area was put forth last year after the Madrid train bombing. Last May, the EU Council adopted the Hague Program which, inter alia, provided for the implementation over the next five years of several new programs, including an enhanced Schengen Information System, to strengthen European internal security against terrorism. The UK has now called a special supplemental EU Justice Ministers meeting to review counter-terrorism measures. And British Finance Chancellor Gordon Brown yesterday called on his European colleagues to wait no longer to begin implementing many of these measures.

The measures currently in place against al Qaeda, unfortunately have not stemmed the flow of new recruits to Jihadi groups. Nor have they reduced the risk of future terrorist attacks to tolerable levels. Identifying and eliminating remnant al Qaeda and emerging new terrorist cells has become an increasingly frustrating enforcement effort. So what else should be done? It is clear that greater attention must be directed at the two fixed pillars of international jihadist terrorism -- recruitment and financing -- that have, so far, gotten away with murder.

The measures currently in place against al Qaeda, unfortunately have not stemmed the flow of new recruits to Jihadi groups. Nor have they reduced the risk of future terrorist attacks to tolerable levels. Identifying and eliminating remnant al Qaeda and emerging new terrorist cells has become an increasingly frustrating enforcement effort. So what else should be done? It is clear that greater attention must be directed at the two fixed pillars of international jihadist terrorism -- recruitment and financing -- that have, so far, gotten away with murder.

It should not be that difficult to identify European centers used for radical Jihad indoctrination and recruitment. They are well established in Europe, and most are already well known to local authorities. While our democratic societies must remain dedicated to protecting religious freedom and to respecting ethnic sensitivities and diversity, we should be able, by now, to make the distinction between fundamentalist religious proselytizing and teaching on the one hand, and recruitment for hatred, violence and terrorism on the other. We can no longer tolerate the preaching to violence by the likes of Abu Hamza al-Masri or Omar Bakri Mohammed..

The second fixed pillar is the deep pockets that continue to finance, not just the terrorists and their operations, but the whole process of indoctrination, recruitment, organization and training of committed violent Jihadists. A number of these terrorist financiers have already been identified. Many still remain unknown. Most are motivated by strong, if misdirected, religious convictions, or by a sense of revenge or hatred for Western culture, actions or policies. But, we have done so very little to dissuade them from supporting such movements or to punish them for doing so. Just take a look at what little effect UN designation as Taliban and Al Qaeda financial supporters has had on those identified individuals, and how easy it has been for them to circumvent the sanctions that are supposed to accompany such designation. See my February 22nd Blog "What Value UN Designation?" Let�s hope that Gordon Brown�s calls are heeded and that Europe, the United States, the United Nations and the international community at large now takes the appropriate steps to put new teeth into these counter terrorism efforts.

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