British Counter-Terrorism Policy

This book argues that British counterterrorism strategy is not only counterproductive, but it also presents an internal risk to national security.

The book is divided into two parts. The first explores the analytical and theoretical tools used to analyse British counterterrorism strategy. As the book understands terrorism to be a normative label, a discourse-oriented approach is used. The boundary-security nexus not only exposes how constructions of security and identity exist in a dialectic relationship, but also provides a three-dimensional tool of symbolic, social, and institutional levels through which to explore constructions of terrorism. Part two applies the boundary-security nexus to two case studies: Islamic and far-right terrorism. The analysis and comparison of these case studies through the boundary-security nexus shows how for over a decade successive British governments have framed terrorism as a foreign problem; a problem with roots and causes firmly planted abroad. This results in a highly selective and racial understanding of terrorism, which has significant national security implications.

Ultimately, the book shows how constructions of national identity and national security are intertwined at every level of the construction of terrorism. Islamic terrorism is framed as a foreign problem while far-right extremism is normalised and never given the condition of the Other. Only the threat framed as emanating from the Other is seen as a legitimate target of counterterrorism policy. It is this very intertwining of national identity and national security which allows for the selective application of the terrorism label in the UK. As such, the book shows how, through the selective application of the terrorism label, national security can be eroded from within.

This book will be of much interest to students of terrorism studies, British politics, criminology and IR in general.