Civil Society and the War on Terror


Book Description

Aggravated poverty and insecurity, the loss of livelihoods, the breakdown of trust and hope - these are some of the consequences of the war on terror. These points were reiterated in a series of workshops organised by INTRAC in 2006-07, and run by southern and northern civil society groups in five regions of the world. More than 200 participants from some 40 countries were involved. While international terrorism remains a threat for countries across the world, for low-income urban populations it is the acts of everyday violence - including exposure to hunger, poor sanitation, illness, disease, crime and civil conflict - which explain why the overriding concern remains the persistence of poverty. The manifold ways in which counter-terrorism measures have undermined ordinary peoples' livelihoods were the main subject of debates at workshops as far apart as Bishkek and Beirut. This book draws together the discussion and debates from all of the workshops. It highlights the drastic pressures being placed upon civil society, primarily in the name of northern security concerns. A veritable industry has been created and is being used mainly to oppress and silence dissent. This does not augur well for either democracy or development.




Counter-Terrorism, Aid and Civil Society


Book Description

The book critically examines the effects of the War on Terror on the relationships between civil society, security and aid. It argues that the War on Terror regime has greatly reshaped the field of development and it highlights the longer-lasting impacts of post-9/11 counter-terrorism responses on aid policy and practice on civil society.




Counter-terrorism and civil society


Book Description

This book examines the intersection between national and international counter-terrorism policies and civil society in numerous national and regional contexts. The 9/11 terrorist attacks against the United States in 2001 led to new waves of scholarship on the proliferation of terrorism and efforts to combat international terrorist groups, organizations, and networks. Civil society organisations have been accused of serving as ideological grounds for the recruitment of potential terrorists and a channel for terrorist financing. Consequently, states around the world have established new ranges of counter-terrorism measures that target the operations of civil society organisations exclusively. Security practices by states have become a common trend and have assisted in the establishment of ‘best practices’ among non-liberal democratic or authoritarian states, and are deeply entrenched in their security infrastructures. In developing or newly democratized states - those deemed democratically weak or fragile - these exceptional securities measures are used as a cover for repressing opposition groups, considered by these states as threats to their national security and political power apparatuses. This timely volume provides a detailed examination of the interplay of counter-terrorism and civil society, offering a critical discussion of the enforcement of global security measures by governments around the world.







Human Rights in the 'War on Terror'


Book Description

This book reviews the war on terror since 9/11 from a human rights perspective.




Civil Society Under Strain


Book Description

'Civil Society Under Strain' investigates the convergence of aid and security objectives following the September 11 attacks.




Democratic Responses To Terrorism


Book Description

In the public debate, many observers have argued that there is a trade-off between fighting terrorism and enhancing democracy, implying that democratic governance and its practices are obstacles to confronting terrorism effectively. The purpose of this volume is to show that the values and principles of democracy must not be seen as a hindrance but should rather be considered as essential components of a counter-terrorist strategy. With a foreword by Fernando Henrique Cardoso, former president of Brazil, the essays here assess the elements of a new response against terrorism, such as the role of the legal framework, human rights, democracy and civil society, as well as international cooperation.




Global Civil Society


Book Description

The terms 'global' and 'civil society' have both become part of the contemporary political lexicon. In this important new book, Mary Kaldor argues that this is no coincidence and that the reinvention of civil society has to be understood in the context of globalization. The concept of civil society is no longer confined to the borders of the territorial state. Whether one considers dissidents in repressive regimes, landless labourers in Central America, campaigners against land mines or global debt, or even religious fundamentalists, it is now possible for them to link up with other like-minded groups in different parts of the world and to address demands not just to national governments but to global institutions as well. This has opened up new opportunities for human emancipation, and, in particular, for going beyond war as a way of managing global affairs. But it also entails new risks and insecurities. This is a book about a political idea - an idea that came out of the 1989 revolutions. It is an idea that expresses a real phenomenon, even if the boundaries and shape of the phenomenon are contested and subject to constant redefinition. The study of past debates as well as the actions and arguments of the present is a way of directly influencing the phenomenon, and of contributing to a changing reality, if possible for the better. The task is all the more urgent in the aftermath of September 11. Global Civil Society will be read by students of politics, international relations and sociology, as well as activists, policy-makers, journalists and all those engaged in global public debates.




Conflict, Security and the Reshaping of Society


Book Description

A PDF version of this book is available for free in open access via www.tandfebooks.com as well as the OAPEN Library platform, www.oapen.org. It has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 3.0 license and is part of the OAPEN-UK research project. This book is an examination of the effect of contemporary wars (such as the 'War on Terror') on civil life at a global level. Contemporary literature on war is mainly devoted to recent changes in the theory and practice of warfare, particular those in which terrorists or insurgents are involved (for example, the 'revolution in military affairs', 'small wars', and so on). On the other hand, today's research on security is focused, among other themes, on the effects of the war on terrorism, and on civil liberties and social control. This volume connects these two fields of research, showing how 'war' and 'security' tend to exchange targets and forms of action as well as personnel (for instance, the spreading use of private contractors in wars and of military experts in the 'struggle for security') in modern society. This shows how, contrary to Clausewitz's belief war should be conceived of as a "continuation of politics by other means", the opposite statement is also true: that politics, insofar as it concerns security, can be defined as the 'continuation of war by other means'. This book will be of much interest to students of critical security studies, war and conflict studies, terrorism studies, sociology and IR in general. Salvatore Palidda is Professor of Sociology in the Faculty of Education at the University of Genoa. Alessandro Dal Lago is Professor of Sociology of Culture and Communication at the University of Genoa.




11 September and Its Aftermath


Book Description

First published in 2004. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.