Since the terrorist events of September 11, 2001, apprehension of terrorism has been having a major effect on the safety laws in Western nations. Following 9/11, governments throughout the globe had to balance the competing priorities of ensuring the safety of their citizens and protecting their basic rights and freedoms (Farhadi, 2022). As a result, many pieces of legislation were introduced to strengthen the nation’s ability to combat terror. Let’s take a look at how the West’s anxiety regarding terrorism has shaped domestic security policy.
Governments’ ability to observe and gather information on possible terrorist threats has been greatly increased as a result. Data collecting, internet surveillance, and greater information exchange between security organizations are all part of this. The “USA PATRIOT Act and the Investigatory Powers Act” expanded the government’s ability to conduct surveillance in their respective countries.
Figure 1: Global terrorism database
(Source: warontherocks, 2017)
In order to better obtain, analyze, and disseminate information relating to terrorist operations, Western nations have spent in upgrading their intelligence organizations (de Roy van Zuijdewijn and Bakker, 2023). The latter has often required allocating more funds, enhancing inter-agency collaboration, and creating innovative intelligence-gathering and analytic tools.
To handle the changing danger scenario, governments have passed particular anti-terrorism laws. To investigate, prosecute, and prevent terrorist crimes, certain laws are enacted. Detention and questioning of suspects, the labelling of groups as terrorist, and the prosecution of terrorist acts are common features. “The Anti-Terrorism Act in Canada” is one such law, while the “Terrorism Act in the United Kingdom” is another.
Terrorism fears have resulted in more stringent regulations at the borders and for anyone seeking to enter the country. To better detect those with possible ties to terrorism, several nations have tightened up their visa screening procedures, adopted biometric technologies, and created watchlists (LaFree, 2022). The “United States Department of Homeland Security” and the “European Union’s Frontex agency” are two examples of specialised divisions established to improve border security and information exchange.
Laws have been passed to prevent further funding of terrorism. Some of the provisions of these statutes prohibit the financing of terrorism, while others place restrictions on the activities of charity organisations. The international community has stepped up its efforts to detect and destroy the banking networks of terrorist organisations, and institutions of finance are now compelled to track and disclose suspicious activities.
The powers of law enforcement authorities have been increased so that they can better investigate and forestall terrorist attacks. This includes the power to monitor, make pre-emptive arrests, and hold people without trial for lengthy periods of time. Preventative imprisonment and control orders are two of the most contentious tools used to deal with potentially dangerous people.
The implementation of these interior security measures had often prompted worries about possible infractions on the liberty and rights of people, prompting calls for a balance between security with civil freedoms. Some people think that the principles that Western democracies are supposed to safeguard are in danger if they lose protections like privacy, proper trial, and freedom of speech (Mani, 2021). Important roles in monitoring and questioning the lawfulness and constitutionality of these constraints have been undertaken by the courts including human rights organisations.
It’s worth noting that different nations have different levels of home security laws since some have more thorough protections in place. Combating terrorism while protecting basic liberty and rights is a continuous problem for Western democracies, which must strike a balance between security concerns and the preservation of the rule of law.
Reference
de Roy van Zuijdewijn, J. and Bakker, E., 2023. Twenty years of countering jihadism in Western Europe: from the shock of 9/11 to ‘jihadism fatigue’. Journal of Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism, pp.1-14. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/18335330.2023.2200411
Farhadi, A., 2022. Post-9/11 radicalization theory and its impact on violent extremism. Handbook of Security Science, pp.123-148. https://www.usf.edu/arts-sciences/departments/religious-studies/documents/farhadi-materials/farhadi-chapter-post_9-11-hss.pdf
LaFree, G., 2022. In the shadow of 9/11: How the study of political extremism has reshaped criminology. Criminology, 60(1), pp.5-26. https://ccjs.umd.edu/sites/ccjs.umd.edu/files/pubs/Criminology%20-%202021%20-%20LaFree%20-%20In%20the%20shadow%20of%209%2011%20%20How%20the%20study%20of%20political%20extremism%20has%20reshaped%20criminology.pdf
Mani, R., 2021. Terrorism, Security and Democracy: 20 Years after 9/11. Cadmus, 4(5). https://www.cadmusjournal.org/files/journalpdf/Vol4Issue5/Vol4_Issue5.pdf#page=112
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