We have the strategy we need to deal with terrorism: Contest Mark 2

The government has issued a 167 page document describing its revised and updated counterterrorism strategy. The first iteration of its strategy to tackle terrorism, developed in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in the United States, consisted of a set of major objectives — prevention, pursuit, protection and preparation (for dealing with possible terrorist attack). The ‘four Ps’ provided useful general guidelines, but a more detailed strategy on exactly how these goals are to be achieved has had to await the consolidation of a more comprehensive and detailed version of the counterterrorism strategy. Contest Mark 2. Does it measure up to the task?

A strength of the document is that it takes a realistic view of the threat. The changing situation of al-Qaeda is fully acknowledged but there is no attempt to pretend that is a busted flush, no longer posing a danger to the international community. While it is clear that al-Qaeda has been knocked back in Iraq, they have been consolidating their position in Pakistan and other parts of the world, such as the Horn of Africa, West Africa and the Maghreb. And despite scathing attacks by the Egyptian militant Islamist, ‘Dr Fadl’, condemning the al-Qaeda network for its killing of fellow Muslims, al-Qaeda still appears to be able to indoctrinate and recruit young Muslims into its ranks both in the ‘front-line’ states such as Pakistan and among the Muslim communities in Europe, including the United Kingdom.

The Contest Mark 2 document points out that two thirds of the terrorist plots identified by the intelligence services and the police in Britain have been linked to Pakistan. And in case anyone still labours under the delusion that the UK is no longer at risk from al-Qaeda and other jihadi activity they should consult the reports of the 86 UK trials that have taken place in the past two years in which convictions for terrorist activity resulted. It is a tribute to the police and the intelligence services that they have succeeded in preventing or pre-empting a large number of terrorist attacks which would have caused mass casualties.

The government is not, as some of its critics assert, engaging in ‘fearmongering’ in order to distract the public from other problems and difficulties. Nor is it saying that there is intelligence pointing to an imminent attack. They are being honest in stating that the threat to the UK is at the severe end of ‘severe’.

This is particularly relevant in view of numerous high-value and high-profile targets the UK offers, from this week’s G20 conference to the preparations for the London Olympics. There is also the continuing and intensifying UK involvement in countering the insurgency in Afghanistan — led by the Taliban and supported by its jihadist allies in Pakistan who help sustain the insurgency by sending recruits and weapons across the border.

President Obama clearly fully appreciates the critical role of Pakistan and Afghanistan in the struggle against al-Qaeda: this is why he has announced major increases in assistance to both countries, including the deployment of 4,000 instructors to help train the Afghan army.

President Obama’s new strategy to counter al-Qaeda is very similar to the approach outlined in the international passages in the UK’s Contest Mark 2 strategy. The British security authorities are fully aware of the ‘international dimension’ of our homeland security: al-Qaeda and its jihadi allies are waging a global struggle. We would be deluding ourselves if we assumed that the UK’s counterterrorism problems were confined within our own borders. Contest Mark 2 correctly stresses the importance of close international co-operation, especially the sharing of intelligence and close collaboration with the ‘front-line’ states.

Contest Mark 2 has also been criticised for pointing out that there is an increasing danger from terrorists managing to obtain and utilise chemical, biological and radiological materials in order to cause mass casualties. There is abundant evidence that al-Qaeda is keen to acquire these capabilities and their track record of mass casualty attacks indicates that they would have no hesitation in using these.

Even if they were only able to employ crude ‘dirty bombs’, using radiological materials combined with high explosives, this would cause enormous problems for the security authorities and for the private/public sector buildings, transport facilities that may have been contaminated. Any modern government that failed to prepare its security agencies and emergency services for this type of threat by acquiring sufficient stocks of antidotes, decontamination equipment, protective clothing and regular training and exercises to practice response to such attacks would be failing in its duty.

A major element in Contest Mark 2 is its stress on widening public participation in prevention, protection against terrorism and preparation for dealing with the consequences of an attack. The efforts of the City of London authorities to promote close co-operation between the police and the management and staff of private sector and public sector institutions and services at the height of the IRA’s bombing campaign in London provides a valuable precedent. The government’s idea of having 60,000 members of the public, UK-wide, trained to help in the tasks of information-gathering, protection and preparation for dealing with a possible terrorist attack is bold and imaginative. It is foolish to imagine that the police and intelligence services have enough officers to carry out all these tasks.

In evidence to parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee, the Head of MI5 stated that they had identified 2,000 militants who they believed were potentially or actually involved in terrorist conspiracies. The security service simply did not have enough officers to provide surveillance on such a scale. Help from vigilant and well-briefed members of the public is a vital resource.

Last, but not least, an admirable part of Contest Mark 2 is its stress on the need to counter pro-terrorist propaganda by promoting the values of democracy, tolerance and the protection of human rights. Schools and colleges have a vital part to play in the promotion of these values as part of citizenship training. This is a fundamental requirement for an effective democratic response to terrorism: after all, terrorism is a brutal attack on the most important of all human rights, the right to life.

Contest 2 should be welcomed by all who value democracy and human rights. It is, as the government has claimed, a comprehensive strategy for dealing with the scourge of terrorism.