CIAO DATE: 9/07
Culture and Conflict: Volume 56 (Winter 2005)
Following the 9/11 events it is often assumed that military forces have become an indispensable asset for the implementation of antiterrorist policies in the European Union. This assumption mainly rests on the idea that European citizens would easily shift their priorities, away from traditional civil liberties toward increasing protection: war on terrorism would not fit neatly into any perfect doctrine of law, either the rule of war or the rules of crime, which leaves room for scenario where « the normal rules will not apply ». However, the following article contends that military forces are ill-suited to address the scourge of extreme violence. Firstly, because the concept of « war on terrorism » is a vague notion that contains in itself all its contradictions, as past experiences have historically demonstrated it. Secondly, because the EU antiterrorist policy is largely the by-product of past JHA and ESDP decisions in matters of immigration, peace keeping operations and global surveillance strategies. In this context political leaders and the military should redefine the general framework of EU antiterrorist policies, which requires a complete revamping of the missions fulfilled by the other actors involved in the war on terrorism and public liberty legislations more in line with the original « human destiny » of the EU construction.