Defeating terrorism to protect who we are

Japan is 10,000km from Syria but this week’s horrific murder of two Japanese hostages was a reminder, if one were needed, of the inter-continental nature of the terrorism challenge we are all facing and the sheer evil that we are confronted with.

International Terrorism is not a new phenomenon, but the challenge we are facing today is qualitatively different from the hijacks of the 1970s or even the attacks on the US of September 11, 2001. Today, websites like YouTube, which our children use to watch humorous clips and music videos, are being used by terrorist organisations to threaten and taunt us with footage of their most heinous acts of barbarity. While terrorists have long taken refuge in enclaves of sympathetic countries, today the so-called Islamic State has seized control of large swathes of both Syria and Iraq and exploit their rich resources for their ends. But perhaps the most difficult new element is the attraction that a tiny but relevant minority of our citizens have towards IS, to the point that they are ready to travel and join in their mission of barbarity.

Terrorist radicalisation is a complex phenomenon of people embracing radical ideology that could lead them to carry out violent acts. Late last year I outlined the EU approach to tackling radicalisation and violent extremism at a Forum that also heard the thinking of local partners including the Institute of Bangsamoro Studies, the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue. What emerged clearly is that a lasting solution to radicalism will come neither from precision missiles nor from drone strikes. It will require a much more difficult and long-term effort to win back “the hearts and minds” of people that today seek to destroy the societies they live in.

But knowledge of what is taking place within our borders, whether in Europe or in Asia, does not soften the blow when terror strikes. We were reminded of this just a few weeks ago when the attacks on Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish grocery store in Paris hit us all like a kick in the gut.

It was the unprecedented reaction of ordinary people taking to the streets of Europe to defend the values of their society, as well as the expressions of solidarity that arrived from all over the world including in the Philippines, that gave us the energy to redouble our efforts to overcome this affront to everything we hold dear.

A few days ago European Home Affairs Ministers held an extraordinary meeting in Riga and agreed to implement a number of comprehensive measures in an attempt to ward off future attacks. They looked into deepening co-operation with the internet industry to have shocking images of terrorism deleted and to encourage social media platforms to remove illegal content that glorifies terrorism and invites imitation. Ministers are seeking to put in place regulations to allow the sharing of Passenger Name Records for persons travelling by air within the EU while tightening border checks on those entering and leaving the Schengen passport-free Area. In the face of the heightened threat they are also seeking to overcome the hesitation of many European intelligence agencies to share more information, and even considered the idea of a European Intelligence Agency.  In an effort to make quick progress on these measures the Heads of State and Government of the European Union will hold a dedicated informal summit on the proposals on February 12.

Newly-appointed EU High Representative Federica Mogherini said that the EU’s efforts on terrorism were in reaction to what happened in Paris and also to address “a common threat not only for Europeans but also countries and peoples in the Arab world, in Africa, in Asia.” Indeed Europe and Asia have long been working together on counter-terrorism. By way of example right here in the Philippines the EU-UNODOC Joint Initiative for supporting Southeast Asian countries to Counter Terrorism helps the administration to better understand the causes of radicalisation while improving its ability to investigate and prosecute terrorist cases.

Although the roots of radicalism and terrorism in the European Union and the Philippines may not be identical, the aims of those who attack us are the same — to undermine the rights and the freedoms that underpin our societies. Our duty is the same. To offer protection and security to our citizens without sacrificing the very elements of our democratic societies that make them worth defending.

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(Guy Ledoux is the Ambassador of the European Union.)