Human Rights and the War on Terror Second Edition
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H UMAN R IGHTS & H UMAN W ELFARE Human Rights and the War on Terror Second Edition Introduction by Jack Donnelly Andrew Mellon Professor Graduate School of International Studies, University of Denver “9/11 changed everything.” Not really. In fact, there has been far more continuity than change over the past six years in both international and domestic politics. Nonetheless, human rights often have been harmed—although not by terrorism but by “the war on terror.” War rarely is good for human rights. The American-led “global war on terror” has had predictably negative human rights consequences. In combating a tiny network of violent political extremists, human rights have been—both intentionally and unintentionally—restricted, infringed, violated, ignored, and trampled. Civil liberties have been restricted or worse in numerous countries, including in the United States. Forces of repression have been emboldened, using the language of antiterrorism to justify violating the rights of ordinary political opponents. Actions directed against real terrorists have, as in Chechnya, been intensified in ways that have increased the suffering of innocent civilians. And the United States, although still a vocal and sometimes effective advocate for international human rights, has shown unfortunate tolerance for human rights violations by “partners” in the “war on terrorism.” Consider Pakistan. It has been the world’s leading nuclear proliferator over the past two decades and was the leading supporter of the Taliban. Today it probably provides refuge for Osama bin Laden, and certainly offers safe haven for a variety of Islamist terrorists. It is ruled by a repressive military dictator, who was recently “re-elected” in a sham poll. Yet because General Musharraf provides limited assistance in the “war on terror,” Pakistan is America’s leading “friend” in the region. As Thomas Friedman put it in his September 30, 2007 column in The New York Times, “9/11 has made us stupid … [and] we can’t afford to keep being this stupid!” This bibliography documents some of the human rights stupidity arising from the “war on terror.” Like the other HRHW Research Digests, it offers an introduction to a rapidly growing body of literature. The intended audience is those embarking on research. Each section includes an introduction that identifies some of the principal issues considered in the scholarly and policy literature and offers annotations of a generally representative selection of sources. There is no attempt to provide a complete or comprehensive bibliography. Within each topic we have emphasized instead careful selection and informative annotation. Reflecting both the importance of the topic and the growing literature, this Digest is a “second edition”—a “first” for HRHW. It is presented in two parts. S-1 R EVIEW D IGEST: H UMAN R IGHTS & T HE W AR ON T ERROR- 2007 S UPPLEMENT The second, supplementary part was produced in the spring of 2007. It covers the human rights implications of the “war on terror” for Chechnya, Europe (post London and Madrid bombings), Georgia, Sudan, Uganda, U.S. Foreign Policy, and Uzbekistan. The first part, which was produced in spring of 2005, covers a more extensive range of issues. Because of material constraints, however, it has not been possible to update all of these entries. Nonetheless, the Background section remains timely, particularly with regard to its discussions of the more general literature on terrorism and the national and international legal context. Both globally and in literally dozens of countries, the “war on terror” has transformed the context of the struggle for human rights, usually for the worse. This bibliography aims to improve understanding of the nature and consequences of these transformations. Researchers Instructors Editors Simon Amajuru Chris Saeger Sarah Bania-Dobyns Susannah Compton Jack Donnelly Eric Dibbern Robin Davey David Gillespie Syd Dillard Toni Panetta Amanda Donahoe Chris Saeger Charles Hess Sydney Fisher Kelley Laird Victoria Lowdon Chris Maggard Alexandra Nichols Travis Ning Toni Panetta Greg Sanders James Smithwick Angela Woolliams © 2005, Graduate School of International Studies, University of Denver S-2 H UMAN R IGHTS & H UMAN W ELFARE Background for The “War on Terror” September 11 changed the United States’ understanding of terrorism. Prior to these attacks, Americans typically viewed terrorist events and actors through the lens of foreign affairs, quite removed from “everyday” concerns. Terrorist events involving Americans did occur, occasionally on American soil, but a sense of American invulnerability never truly wavered. September 11 challenged this presumption; as well as perspectives on the history of terrorism, compelling some to reexamine past events in order to find portents of the future tragedy. A look at the development of the literature on terrorism beginning in the early 1980’s until now reveals some cognitive dissonance. In introducing this material, it is not my intention to explain terrorism or define terrorism in this section. In fact, it is the very definition of terrorism is challenged by the assortment of initiatives collected under the title of the American War on Terror. Prior to September 11, “terrorism” was understood more broadly by more people. Although a single definition has never been uniformly applied, hence the inclusion in this digest of such organizations as the IRA and PLO, and the absence of certain other frequently, though reckless labeled as terrorist. I will presume that the “terror” is primarily associated with topics associated with the War on Terror. The history sections are particularly honest to this conviction, though they also point to some areas that are neglected by the current paradigm. The History component is divided into two sections, prior to and after 2002. Sources are mostly limited to books, as they provide a more expansive treatment of topics than would typically be found in articles. The Reports section provides reports from government agencies, non-governmental organizations and think tanks. The reports present a diversity of opinion and differing recommendations on how best to confront terrorism. Sources date from 1979 onwards, the year of the Iran Hostage crisis, a clearly identifiable point in time in which Americans were confronted by a terrorist act. The section on Law presents laws passed within the Unites States and the United Kingdom, as well as United Nations Conventions and NATO Plans intended to address and deter terrorism. Additional sources analyze how international laws and legal cooperation among nations help fight terrorism. General Background: Pre-2001 This section focuses on literature written before 2001. The section on the Periphery of Terror focuses principally on terrorist activity outside the purview of the Bush administration’s War on Terror. The section on the Roots of September 11 is concerned with how terrorism has become of special interest to the West. The section on Technology discusses its role in dealing with terrorism. Periphery of Terror Yonah Alexander. 1989. Terrorism: The PLO Connection. New York: Crane Russak. S-3 R EVIEW D IGEST: H UMAN R IGHTS & T HE W AR ON T ERROR- 2007 S UPPLEMENT Yonah Alexander and Robert A. Kiln. 1979. Political Terrorism and Business: The Threat and Response. New York: Praeger. Many subjects are addressed by the authors in this collection, including corporate and executive targets; medical preparedness; and responses to terrorist events by airlines, banks and insurance companies. Also includes a chronology of transnational terrorist attacks on American business people. Yonah Alexander and Alan O’Day. 1989. Ireland’s Terrorist Trauma: Interdisciplinary Perspectives. New York: St. Martin’s Press. Authors in this collection look at the conflict of Northern Ireland through the lens of terrorism. Chapters discuss the roles of the international community and the Catholic Church, with special focus on both the IRA and Ulster Loyalists. Yonah Alexander and Alan O’Day. 1991. The Irish Terrorism Experience. Brookfield, Vt., USA: Dartmouth. Yonah Alexander and Alan O’Day. 1984. Terrorism in Ireland. London and New York: Croom Helm; St. Martin’s Press. Yonah Alexander and Dennis A. Pluchinsky. 1992. Europe’s Red Terrorists: The Fighting Communist Organizations. Portland, Ore. : F. Cass. Yonah Alexander and Dennis A. Pluchinsky. 1992. European Terrorism Today & Tomorrow. Washington: Brassey’s (US). A collection of essays with chapters providing reviews of two European terrorist groups, evaluating the implications of historical terrorist activity on Europe’s future. The authors suggest tools for combating terrorism in consideration of European integration and more fluid borders. Howard L. Bushart. 1998. Soldiers of God: White Supremacists and Their Holy War for America. New York, NY: Kensington Books. ABSTRACT: From the Ku Klux Klan to Aryan Nations, the groups profiled in this fascinating, frightening book are organized, armed and growing. Written with the complete cooperation of the leaders of these revolutionary groups, Soldiers of God is the first book to let these masterminds of hatred speak their minds in their own words. Through interviews and documents, the authors weave the views of this expanding underground movement within the context of modern America to help us comprehend these forces at work against our nation - from within. Ray S. Cline. 1984. Terrorism: The Soviet Connection. New York: Crane Russak. Richard B. Cole. 1980. Executive Security: A Corporate