home > by publication type > daily analysis > Confronting Terror in Open Society
Email
| Prepared by: | Eben Kaplan |
|---|
Onlookers watch as an explosive-laden Jeep smolders outside Glasgow airport. (AP Images/ Alistair Robertson)
Gordon Brown faced a trial by fire in his first week as Britain’s prime minister. Two days after his tenure began, Brown found himself beset by terrorism, first with the discovery of two car bombs (BBC) in central London, then later with a failed assault (Scotsman) on Glasgow’s airport. The incidents, detailed in this Telegraph timeline, draw attention to Britain’s terror response network, and more generally to how free societies interact with their Muslim citizens.
As British police pursue leads through quiet suburban neighborhoods (TIME), many argue Britain must do more to deal with the threat of homegrown terrorism in its large and varied Muslim population. Certainly domestic intelligence gathering is a critical ingredient. Michael McConnell, the U.S. director of national intelligence, recently told CFR.org that Britain’s experience with the Irish Republican Army leaves it well equipped for such an undertaking. Britain’s domestic intelligence agency, the MI5, is in some ways more effective at domestic surveillance than its U.S. counterparts, a point made repeatedly in this Online Debate.
Finding bad seeds among the law-abiding majority is a nuanced task, particularly when a community is targeted for religious or ethnic reasons. Again, Britain has extensive experience, having monitored closely during the "Troubles" the large Irish communities that exist in almost every British city. As Prime Minister Brown told the BBC in an interview, the challenge of homegrown terrorists is a “battle of hearts and minds.” Winning such a struggle, argues the Independent, requires “calm, caution, and intelligence.” According to William Rees-Mogg, a Times of London columnist, it will also require a new legal framework and a close look at Britain’s “deeply flawed” culture, which he says has alienated many British Muslims.
Britain is not alone. Europe’s failure to integrate descendents of Muslim immigrants has led to a generation of disillusioned youth (Foreign Affairs) who are increasingly susceptible to radical ideology and the kind of violence which has plagued France. The cloud of suspicion that tends to mushroom from terrorist attacks serves only to further alienate this corner of society. Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, a columnist for the Independent, calls on “sane, ordinary Muslims” to speak out. Writing in the Guardian, the Muslim Council of Britain’s Inayat Bunglawala suggests that a more tempered foreign policy would also help dampen the spread of radicalism at home.
In the United States, homegrown terrorism recently made headlines once again with claims that authorities broke up two plots targeting Fort Dix (WashPost) in New Jersey and New York’s JFK airport (CNN). These alleged plots surprised experts who see Muslim-Americans as less susceptible to radicalism due to their greater economic and cultural integration. Of course, the 2.35 million American Muslims represent a much smaller percentage of the overall U.S. population than the roughly two million Muslims living in Britain. Unlike Muslims in Europe, those in the United States tend not to live in isolated enclaves and hail from a broader array (TIME) of countries.
A task force report by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs affirms the generally advanced integration of American Muslims, while noting that greater civic engagement yet is possible, particularly with respect to national security. A recent Pew Research Center poll points out other flaws in the integration of American Muslims, saying some feel “singled out” for surveillance and monitoring. Speaking at a recent symposium on terror threats in New York City, CFR’s Steven Simon cautioned: “We need to think very carefully about this because this is a community…on whom we will rely for our security.”
Weigh in on this issue by emailing CFR.org.
Explore international efforts to curb nuclear proliferation with a new interactive from CFR's program on International Institutions and Global Governance.
To order Task Force reports, Council Special Reports, and Critical Policy Choices, please call, fax, or order online from our distributor, the Brookings Institution Press: phone +1.800.537.5487, fax +1.410.516.6998.
For information on other reports that are not for sale, or for general publications information, please call +1.212.434.9516 or email publications@cfr.org.
In War of Necessity, War of Choice, Richard N. Haass contrasts the decisions that shaped the conduct of two wars between the United States and Iraq involving the two presidents Bush and Saddam Hussein, and writes an authoritative, personal account of how U.S. foreign policy is made, what it should seek, and how it should be pursued.
In Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know, Julia E. Sweig presents a remarkably accessible portrait of Cuba’s unique place on the world stage over the past fifty years, including its internal politics, its often fraught relationship with the United States, and its shifting relationship with the global community.
As Ray Takeyh shows in Guardians of the Revolution, behind the famous personalities and extremist slogans of Iran is a nation that is far more pragmatic—and complex—than many in the West have been led to believe.
Complete list of CFR Books
This report finds that nuclear weapons will remain a fundamental element of U.S. national security in the near term, and makes recommendations on how to ensure the safety, security, and reliability of the U.S. deterrent nuclear force, prevent nuclear terrorism, and strengthen the nuclear nonproliferation regime.
About Independent Task Forces at CFR
Complete list of Task Force reports
The Canadian oil sands present an important challenge to policymakers: they promise energy security benefits but present climate change problems. Michael A. Levi assesses the energy security and climate change effects of the oil sands and makes recommendations for U.S. policymakers within the context of broader bilateral relations with Canada.
This report explores an important element of the maritime policy regime: the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Author Scott G. Borgerson examines the international negotiations that led to the convention, the history of debates in the United States over whether to join it, and the strategic importance of the oceans for U.S. foreign policy today.
Complete list of Council Special Reports
To request permission to reprint or reuse CFR material, please fill out this permissions request form (PDF), referring to the instructions on page 1.
Copyright 2009 by the Council on Foreign Relations. All Rights Reserved.