Harvard Europe 2006

GROUP OF EIGHT Global Terrorism and the G8 Response Update

BY AWARA MENDY

Introduction Recent Developments in G8 Member States

The threat of terrorism is nothing new, but it has emerged as one of the most pressing international problems of the new millenium. As technology advances, the threat of terrorist attacks continues to plague the international community with increasing intensity. Today, weapons of October 2005 proved to be a difficult month for France mass destruction such as nuclear, chemical, and biological as it faced over two weeks of rioting and unrest following the weapons make terrorism even more deadly. International co- death of two teenagers of North African descent as they hid operation is vital to reducing this threat, which affects all from pursuing police. News of the death triggered riots in the corners of the globe. areas outside of , which are home to many Arab and North African immigrants and their French children. As rioting spread across regions of Paris and youths burned thousands of cars, Summary of the Problem the French government struggled to take control of the situa- tion. Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy adopted a zero-toler- ance anti-crime stance on rioting, sent police reinforcements to affected areas, imposed curfews, and limited public meet- All G8 member states consider terrorism to be a ings that were likely to cause disturbances. Thousands of people serious problem and agree that international cooperation is were detained and France announced that any foreigners in- necessary. However, there is disagreement among members volved in the rioting would simply be deported. as to how to best address the problem. The actions of some Although the French riots were not acts of terrorism, member states, such as the , Great Britain, and many issues surfaced that are useful to consider when explor- Italy in the Iraq War, and Russia in dealing with its Chechen ing the underlying causes of terrorism. The social and eco- separatists, have been strongly criticized by other member nomic marginalization of immigrants has been invoked as a states. There are also differences in the forms of terrorist possible breeding ground for terrorism in the future. threats that G8 member nations have encountered. Despite these differences, the G8 summit provides a good opportu- United States nity for members to discuss shared concerns and to pro- pose multilateral solutions for fighting terrorism. The issue of terrorism is one that is made more The US continues to be actively involved in the war complex by its multiple underlying causes. In addition to against terrorism. In December 2005, President George Bush’s securing weapons of mass destruction, sharing intelligence, domestic spying program was leaked to the media. This ultra- and other security related strategies, any counterterrorism secret program has been run by the National Security Agency solution proposed should also seek to address the underly- since 2002 and allows the intelligence community to listen in ing causes of terrorism. An exploration of why terrorism on phone calls Americans make with suspected terrorists. Fac- occurs will be useful in combating the problem, though ing criticism for infringing upon civil liberties and overstep- consesus may be difficult to reach. ping his constitutional authority, President Bush defended the 1 Harvard Model Congress Europe 2006 Group of Eight: Terrorism program by saying that it was limited and necessary in the of 2003 for his supposed links to the Islamic center where war against terror. police seized materials encouraging Muslims to partici- Most recently, Congress temporarily extended pate in suicide attacks in Iraq. Masri was eventually re- the Patriot Act until March 10, 2006. This act has been turned to Germany in 2004 when the CIA discovered that highly contested because of its infringement on civil rights. it was a case of mistaken identity – Masri was not the man The Patriot Act allows the federal government to conduct they had been looking for. The German government has secret searches, obtain private records such as books faced criticism for its aid of the United States’ policy of checked out of the library, and intercept telephone calls. extraordinary rendition through its complicit silence in the The act and its constitutionality continues to be contested Masri case. by the American public today.

Great Britain Conclusion

Following the July 2005 London bombings, Great Britain has continued in its earnest fight against terrorism. The omnipresent threat of terrorism remains a However, in November 2005, the House of Commons re- large priority for G8 member states and the international jected a crucial provision of the government’s anti-terror- community as a whole. As representatives gather for the ism bill, representing a major defeat for Prime Minister upcoming G8 summit, solutions that seek to disarm terror- Tony Blair. This bill would have increased to 90 days the ists and those that address the underlying causes of ter- time that terror suspects could be held without charge. rorism will be equally important. Because the G8 lacks an After the defeat of the bill, the House of Commons pro- enforcing mechanism, it is important that member states posed an extension of the detention period to 28 days, up present a communiqué that each member state has an in- from the previously allotted 14 days, and the measure was centive to comply with. passed. Blair continues to face tepid support from mem- bers of Parliament and from the British public regarding his support of US President Bush and the Iraq War. Bibliography

“Bush Calls Domestic Spy Program ‘Limited.’” The New In late December 2005, it was reported that Japa- York Times. January 2, 2006 nese police believe that a member of Islamic extremist group Sipah-e-Sahaba, which is based in Pakistan, entered Ja- Bortin, Meg. “France Says It Will Deport Foreigners for pan in 2003 with the aim of setting up a base. Police dis- Rioting.” The New York Times. November 9, 2005 covered that the man frequented mosques in the area and told other people that he had come to Japan to “Germany Shuts Islamic Club It Says Backed Terror.” set up a launch pad for the group. Japanese police con- The New York Times. December 29, 2005 tinue to be on heightened alert for possible terrorist ac- tivities and fear a move by the militant group to recruit Lyall, Sarah. “Provision of Blair’s Anti-Terror Plan is members from Japan’s Muslim community. Rejected.” The New York Times. November 9, 2005

Germany “Islamic Extremist Plans Japan Base: Report.” Agence France Presse. December 30, 2005

Most recently, Germany shut down an Islamic “Timeline: French Riots.” BBC News. http:// center once attended by Khaled al-Masri, a Kuwait-born news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/europe/ German citizen who accused the US Central Intelligence 4413964.stm November 14, 2005 Agency of kidnapping him and sending him to a secret Afghan prison to be abused and interrogated. Masri’s lawyers have suggested he was kidnapped in December 2