UK Faces Terror Risk Because of US Alliance ¶ Chatham House Report

Al-Qaeda increasingly difficult to pin down

Experts say ‘Hydra-like’ Al-Qaeda
further complicate police efforts
to build up model of its mindset.

By Chris Wright – LONDON

Like the Hydra, the monster of Greek mythology, Al-Qaeda can grow new heads when others die, say experts, warning that last week’s bombings in London show how the terrorist group’s periphery is now more important than any remaining command.

The view is spreading that, a new wave of Al-Qaeda affiliated groups were responsible for the London carnage in London and last year’s deadly blasts in Madrid. Many argue that the organisation’s leadership under Osama bin Laden, has become increasingly cut off, since the Afghanistan’s supportive Taliban leadership was forced from power by US-led forces in Afghanistan.

LONDON July 18, 2005 — Britain’s close alliance with the United States has put it at particular risk of terrorist attack, two leading think tanks said today, but a government minister said the nation would not have been safer by staying out of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The continuing debate about the wisdom of Britain’s military commitments has intensified after the bombings of three London underground trains and a bus on July 7 killed 55 people, including the four suicide bombers, and injured some 700 others.

Defense Secretary John Reid, however, argued that terrorism had to be confronted.

“The time for excuses for terrorism is over,” British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said at an EU meeting in Brussels, Belgium. “The terrorists have struck across the world, in countries allied with the United States, backing the war in Iraq and in countries which had nothing whatever to do with the war in Iraq.”

A key problem for the UK in preventing terrorism in Britain is the government’s position as ‘pillion passenger’ to the United States’ war on terror. Formulating counter-terrorism policy in this way has left the ‘ally in the driving seat’ to do the steering.  This is one of the key findings of Security, Terrorism and the UK – pdf a new, long-planned briefing paper to be published on Monday 18 July by Chatham House and the Economic & Social Research Council.

The report also argues that Islamic terrorist activity was not given appropriate priority until the late 1990s.  Prior to this, groups known to be active in London were not viewed as a threat to the UK’s national security and were subsequently left with ‘relative impunity’.

The report also says that the UK is at particular risk because it is the closest ally of the US and has closely supported the deployment of British troops in the military campaigns to topple the Taliban in Afghanistan and Saddam’s regime in Iraq.

The report claims that there is ‘no doubt’ that the invasion of Iraq has imposed particular difficulties for the UK and for the wider coalition against terrorism.  According to the paper, the situation in Iraq has ‘given a boost to the Al-Qaeda network’s propaganda, recruitment and fundraising’, whilst providing an ideal targeting and training area for Al-Qaeda-linked terrorists.

However, the report says that decades of experience with terrorism relating to Northern Ireland has meant that the UK has created an impressive capacity for inter-departmental and inter-agency collaboration. The report also praises the establishment of the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre following 9/11. The report argues that JTAC has proved to be a valuable innovation in assessing threats to UK security.

The broad-ranging report also stresses the need for a move away from the rigid forensic approach to professional post-terror attack responses.  It argues that, whilst often being horrific incidents, acts of terror can also give communities the chance to pull-together and help each other. Authorities and professionals should be alert to sideling public cooperation and assistance in preference for more meticulous and competent solutions post crisis.

Security, Terrorism and the UK – pdf is published on Monday 18 July 2005.

This paper is the first to be published as part of a joint venture between the New Security Challenges programme – headed by Professor Stuart Croft, University of Birmingham – at the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) and the International Security Programme – headed by Dr Paul Cornish – at Chatham House.