Dubai: This week, the British government released the fourth published version of its counter-terrorism strategy — ‘CONTEST: The United Kingdom’s Strategy for Countering Terrorism’. The 94-page document proposes a four-point response to the terrorist threat: (i) Prevent — to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism;
(ii) Pursue — to stop terrorist attacks; (iii) Protect — to strengthen our protection against a terrorist attack; and (IV) Prepare — to mitigate the impact of a terrorist attack.
The counter-terrorism strategy, as laid out in the document, is built on an approach that brings together the public and private sectors, communities, citizens and overseas partners around the single purpose to leave no safe space for terrorists to recruit or act. The ultimate aim of the strategy is reducing the risk to the UK, its citizens, and its interests overseas from terrorism. The government effort is funded to the tune of £2 billion per year.
The last such document was published in 2011, and in the years that followed, the terror threat has increased incrementally. This is especially due to the instability wrought by the Arab uprisings, and the power vacuum they created in countries like Libya, Syria and Yemen. Hundreds of British extremists have fought in countries such as Syria, Iraq, Libya, and Yemen, and have, on several occasions either brought the war home, or have inspired like-minded individuals in their home country.
In 2017, five attacks in London and Manchester led to the deaths of 36 people and injured many more. Daesh and Al Qaida, and the ideology that underpins these groups, comes into sharp focus in CONTEST, which notes the two groups have woven the war in Syria, and the wider humanitarian crisis, into their “core narratives”, propagating a sense of injustice that presents the action or inaction of international actors as part of a wider conflict between the West and Sunni Islam.
Noting the methodology adopted by terrorists, the document says “in these environments, terrorists can gain access to weapons and resources, control territory in which they can recruit and oppress local populations, set up training camps and media centres, and plan and prepare for attacks. In some cases, terrorist organisations may gain support by providing stability, security and governance, where no other exists because of corruption or state fragility. Political violence by governments, political exclusion and group grievances are drivers of terrorism”.
From the UK, and more broadly Western perspective, groups like Daesh and Al Qaida exploit the internet to promote warped alternative narratives, urging extremists in UK communities to “subvert our way of life through simple, brutal violence”. These groups have been very successful in cynically grooming the vulnerable and the young to join their movement, and commit senseless acts of violence. “The recent attacks across Europe and the UK have also served to highlight the diversity and accessibility of methods by which individuals who are vulnerable to these radicalising messages can commit attacks,” the document notes.
