Kanishk Tharoor (London, ToD): British debate over terrorism is thin, memory-less, comparison-free and prone to hysteria because of its lack of depth. Despite all the talk of a global threat, after Brown's statement on terrorism you'd have thought that it only matters in the UK and anywhere the UK has troops (or any place its foreign secretary is visiting). This parochialism is reinforced by the only point of reference for the government's critics being the lessons of Northern Ireland.
From the Madrid bombings (we blogged the trial of the perpetrators weekly - its sole coverage in the UK media), to terrorism and counter-terrorism developments around the world, terrorism.openDemocracy.net tries to provide some genuinely global intelligence. Two examples: our survey of all terrorist trials in Britain since 2001 (please let me know if you think we have missed anything) and our recent coverage of the Philippines.
As democratic governments around the world must grapple with terrorism, it is instructive to have a look at the growing controversy in another 'island nation'. The Philippines recently passed sweeping anti-terrorism legislation - the Human Security Act – which has stoked tremendous debate in the country. The law allows, for instance, a period of detention of only 3 days (as opposed to the 58 days now sought by Brown) before courts must intervene. Yet the law's critics are legion, arguing that such legislation remains amenable to the draconian whimsy of security forces.
Its supporters maintain that the law drastically limits the possibility of abuse and provides transparent, legal means to combat terrorism. It thus "strengthens" the rule of law, in their view by, in effect, changing its definition. This argument is being vigorously critiqued by many in Filipino civil society as a pernicious return to authoritarianism. Yet, in making their case, civil society activists have a tool at their disposal which their British counterparts lack: a contemporary democratic constitution.
You can broaden your view by signing up to our daily security updates of terrorism and counter-terrorism news from around the world by emailing kanishk.tharoor@opendemocracy.net.
