Transnational Terrorism, Security & the Rule of Law
|
Transnational Terrorism, Security & the Rule of Law |
|
Security, as is evident from the prior discussion on ‘notions of security’, is a rather intangible concept that crosses the boundaries between diverse dimensions and geographical domains of well-being. The absence of violence, in itself, is not considered to meet all the criteria for a secure environment. The same holds for security concerns, which are rooted in a diverse sub-set of issues and causes. Terrorism, as a security concern, is therefore both a research and policy-field that warrants a multi-disciplinary and cross-national approach that takes due account of the various approaches and practices available. The consortium behind the proposed research project reflects this multi-disciplinary and cross-national approach, and brings together European experts from a variety of backgrounds, institutional settings, and perspectives. Bridging the gap between public and private enterprises, the participants share a general interest in conflicts and terrorism as common denominator.
The COT Institute for Safety, Security and Crisis management (ISSCM) is a research and consultancy organization conducting scientific and practice-oriented research in safety and crisis management. The ISSCM’s emphasis on practice manifests itself in an applicative approach. Substantial elements of this approach are: drafting studies accessible for scholars as well as actors in the field; providing realistic recommendations and reporting as fast as possible. Besides the drafting of reports, the ISSCM provides practice-oriented training and simulation exercises as well as advice to various organizations and institutions. The ISSCM is a SMe and will be tasked with the overall project-management. The ISSCM is skilled in the areas of the management of security, and of crises and other extraordinary circumstances. Research in the area of security concerns the organization and functioning of the repressive system (police, justice, administration, judicial authorities, armed forces, intelligence services). Besides these elements, the ISSCM also investigates the backgrounds and behavior of groups and persons who threaten the Rule of Law or public order. The ISSCM’s research into ‘extraordinary circumstances’ and events or processes with a high risk-factor, originates from this focus. Extraordinary circumstances are situations that deviate from standard proceedings and thus warrant non-routine reactions. One can think of disasters or terrorism (threats), but also hostage-takings with a lot of media attention or strong public discontent over asylum seekers. The ISSCM strives to observe events on location: within involved organizations, at ‘unsafe’ urban locations and during extraordinary events. The ISSCM’s analyses aim to reach scientific as well as practice-oriented objectives. The ISSCM is co-founder of the international Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management (JCCM – Blackwell Publishers), and co-edits the magazine. The JCCM is liaised to the European Crisis Management Academy (ECMA), which is an international network of European academics and practitioners in the field of crisis-management. Also within the area of safety management and outside the ECMA the ISSCM maintains close contacts with prominent scholars and institutes domestically and abroad. In the international arena the ISSCM has done investigations concerning safety-management for among other the UEFA, and currently the ISSCM is conducting research for the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Institute (UNICRI). In the past years the ISSCM has strongly increased her expertise in the area of (counter-) terrorism. In co-operation with TNO (the other partner in the Dutch Joint Research Unit), the ISSCM published the study ‘Trends in Terrorism’ providing an overview of the field of terrorism studies. The ISSCM was also closely involved in a Parliamentary investigation into the functioning of the Dutch intelligence agency AIVD that resulted in the report ‘The changing AIVD’. Besides this, the ISSCM provided numerous actors with advice and training in this area, and the institute increasingly performs research in this area. Related to this, the ISSCM has recently also expanded its knowledge of radicalization- and recruitment-processes. Among others, the ISSCM has helped develop plans to enhance the prevention, preparation and repression of radicalization and recruitment for both the city of Amsterdam and the Rotterdam municipality. As one of the central features of ISSCM’s work pertains to crisis-management, the institute has also invested a lot of time and effort in the development of expertise in the area of preparedness and consequence management in relation to terrorism. In the last couple of months the ISSCM has advised the Dutch government on the issue of critical infrastructures. Currently, the Ministry of Interior Affairs has assigned ISSCM to evaluate the largest terrorism-exercise ever held in the Netherlands. Obviously, the ISSCM thus has specific skills concerning the performance of practice-oriented/applied social-scientific research that focuses on policy issues concerning broad notions of security.
The objective of the Netherlands Institute of International Relations, known as "Clingendael", is to promote the understanding of international affairs. Special attention is devoted to European integration, transatlantic relations, international security, conflict studies, policy making on national and international energy markets, negotiations and diplomacy, and to the United Nations and other international organizations. Clingendael seeks to achieve this objective through research, by publishing studies, organizing courses and training programs, and by providing information. The Institute acts in an advisory capacity to the government, parliament and social organizations, holds conferences and seminars, maintains a library and documentation center, and publishes a Dutch language monthly on international politics as well as a newsletter. Clingendael currently employs some 75 staff, the majority of whom are researchers and training staff. Clingendael is an institute with an international focus. International political leaders, diplomats, journalists and researchers are frequently invited to give lectures and to take part in conferences and seminars. Visiting scholars from all over the world participate in the Institute’s activities. The Institute provides training courses in European relations and other subjects for diplomats from Central and Eastern Europe, the now independent states of the former Soviet Union, and Southern Africa, and assists in the training of specialists in various countries. Clingendael maintains regular contact with other major research institutes throughout Europe and the United States and, together with similar institutes in Western Europe, prepares studies for the European Commission. Clingendael is a non-profit foundation established under Dutch law. Over half the Institute’s budget is generated by the Institute’s activities (i.e., courses, seminars, research projects, workshops on international negotiations, etc.). The remainder is made up of subsidies from the Dutch Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense. The Institute is, however, an autonomous organization. Its activities and views are independent of any public or private bodies, and the Institute is not allied to any political party, denominational group or ideological movement. 
DCISM was established with the aim of strengthening research, analysis, and information activities in Denmark concerning international affairs, i.e. the fields of foreign, security, and development policy; conflict; holocaust, genocide and political mass murders; and human rights in Denmark and abroad. DCISM was established by Act of Parliament on 29 May 2002 and started activities on 1 January 2003. DCISM is governed by a board of eleven members with representatives from the Prime Minister's Office, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and independent Danish scholars. DCISM is independent in all professional matters. Research, analyses and related activities at DCISM are located within five research departments and an analysis unit:
The Department of Conflict and Security Studies focuses its research on the use of force in the contemporary world. It seeks to explain and understand the ways in which armed force and terrorism is used with the aim of enhancing our ability to prevent, manage and end the use of armed force and terrorism. The output of the Security and Defenses Studies takes many forms – briefs, reports, newspaper articles, articles in international journals, seminars and conferences – in order to live up to our ambition of conducting research at a high international level and communicating its findings to the Danish public. The main publications of the Security and Defense Studies published by DCISM are subject to peer review by an international review panel. The Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR) was established by statute on 6 June 2002 by the “Danish Centre for International Studies and Human Rights Act”. From 1 January 2003 the new institute took over the activities that were previously carried out by the Danish Centre for Human Rights, which was established in 1987. The DIHR is an independent institution functioning within DCISM. In accordance with its mandate, DIHR carries out activities in relation to the following main areas:
In the realization of these activities, the Institute co-operates with organizations and public authorities in Denmark, with human rights centers and humanitarian organizations in other countries, as well as with the Nordic Council, the Council of Europe, the OSCE (Organization on Security and Co-operation in Europe), the EU, and the UN. The Institute considers human rights work to be interdisciplinary, and therefore the staff has a broad range of professional backgrounds such as law, anthropology, sociology, economics, humanities, journalism, and pedagogy. The DIHR initiated partnership programs with democratic governments, universities and NGO’s in developing countries at the beginning of the nineties. These partnership programs are based on three main principles, namely the implementation of human rights; the role of human rights in the prevention of conflicts and the principle of local ownership. The aim of DIHR partnership programs is to provide the tools and means necessary to contribute to the enjoyment of human rights for all. The key to the realization of human rights goes through the development of sustainable and transparent processes and mechanisms based on the rule of law, facilitated through work in a spirit of partnership in strategically chosen areas. 
FRIDE (La Fundación para las Relaciones Internacionales y el Diálogo Exterior) is a private, independent, non-profit foundation based in Madrid, Spain. It is a small to medium-sized enterprise and its objective is to contribute to the consolidation of democracy, peace, respect for human rights, and human development. Through the implementation of projects, studies, analysis, publications, debates and public information, FRIDE promotes both reflection and action on these issues, and contributes to the development of public policy towards the realization of its goals. Since its establishment in 1999, FRIDE has organized and participated in the creation and development of various projects that reinforce not only FRIDE’s commitment to debate and analysis, but also to progressive action thinking. FRIDE concentrates its work in the following areas:
The Global Governance Program at FRIDE focuses on the improvement of the process of global governance in questions of peace, security, and human rights. The Program is divided into four areas of research. Within the foundation’s Global Governance program, FRIDE specializes in UN Reform, Human Rights in the International Security Context, International Responses to Conflict, and International Responses to Terrorism. In that last field, FRIDE has acquired significant experience in coordinating research projects on the root causes of, and non-armed responses to terrorism. The foundation’s track record on terrorism thus focuses on the human aspects of terrorism and counter-terrorism, giving human rights an especially important place in (international) policy analysis. FRIDE provides active institutional support to the Club de Madrid, an independent organization dedicated to strengthening democracy by drawing on the unique experience and resources of its members – former democratic heads of state and government from around the world. The Foundation is also co-founder and active participant in the Toledo International Centre for Peace. The Centre has the objective to contribute to the prevention and resolution of current and potential violent conflicts. It specifically targets the consolidation of peace and security in violent-prone societies, within the framework of Human Rights and democratic values. Furthermore, in February 2004 the Spanish-language edition of the acclaimed journal ‘Foreign Policy’ was launched by FRIDE and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Published bimonthly, it provides both experts and interested members of the general public with part of the English edition translated as well as material exclusive to the Spanish edition.
The IIR (Institute for International Relations) is an independent research organization linked with the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The IIR conducts scholarly research, as well as analytical activities concerning international relations and Czech foreign and security policy. It organizes conferences, seminars, and round-table discussions of experts, academics, and political professionals on international relations, security, and development issues.
The Center for Security Analysis (CSA) was founded with the aim to help the Czech Republic to react to the security challenges of the new era. The Center studies new thought on the development of security policies, supports the debate on questions of security, proposes analyses of current issues, and contributes to the long-term political security strategies of the Czech Republic.
CSA cooperates with relevant ministries, armed forces, academic institutions, media, NGOs, research institutes, and commercial sector on research, communication and education in the field of security and defense. The aim of these partnerships is to contribute to creating a Czech expert security community as a stable circle of politicians, officers and experts who deal with security and defense in the Czech Republic. Thus it represents a link between the academia and the political establishment. It strives to foster communication between the academic community and the government and helps to formulate recommendations for Czech foreign policy. The IIR publishes periodical journals, specialized publications, handbooks, and study papers. The IIR works on these with governmental institutions as well as with academic circles both at home and abroad. It cooperates closely with number of foreign institutions on various projects ranging from international relations policies formulations to security and development analyses.
TNO is the Dutch acronym for the “Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research TNO”. The organization was established in 1932 based on a law that had been passed in 1930. The overall goal of the non-profit organization is to apply scientific knowledge with the aim of strengthening the innovative power of industry and government. The organization currently employs more than 5000 people, and is sub-divided into five core areas: TNO Quality of Life, TNO Science and Industry, TNO Environment and Geosciences, TNO Information and Communication Technology, and TNO Defense, Security and Safety. Revised in 1985, the law stipulates the relationship between the research-organization and the Dutch government. The essence lies in the fact that TNO is a research-institute at ‘arms-length’ of the government. TNO is an independent organization defining and implementing its own policy with respect to finance, personnel, commercial affairs, R&D programming, and so on. TNO is not, and has never been, part of the national government. The organization does maintain, however, a close relationship with the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, which acts as coordinating ministry. In addition, TNO acts as the principal laboratory and research institute for a number of ministries, in particular Ministry of Defense. TNO Defense, Security and Safety mainly operates as a research-institute in the security-sphere, but is also active in project-acquisition for foreign governments as well as private, defense-related industries. It utilizes a broad notion of security, and conducts mostly technological research related to military, law enforcement, intelligence and calamity-management. As such, TNO Defense, Security and Safety has great experience in, and knowledge on, technical and operational aspects of security-related infrastructure and operational capabilities. Furthermore, its in-house knowledge-centre “TNO” brings together scarce and complementary expertise of defense and security related activities. The centre is versed in the following areas of expertise:
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
