Responding to Threats Caused by Terrorist Crimes in the Union of Arab States and the African Union

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Assistant Professor of Department of Law Faculty Economic & Administrative Sciences Arak University, Iran

2 Assistant Professor Department of Law Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

The League of Arab States and the African Union have responded to the threats and challenges of violent acts, especially terrorist crimes, by using political and legal discourses, and using countermeasures. Of course, a significant part of these responses to the violent and terrorist behaviors of the ISIS group in recent years are based on the developments that have occurred in the Middle East and Africa region. It should be noted that although the Arab Union officially expressed its willingness to confront terrorist groups such as ISIS, its organizational structures, legal regulations, and operational tools were much weaker than the African Union. However, in the process of confronting terrorist crimes, while creating democratic legitimacy, the League of Arab States should take effective measures to define and describe these crimes by making operational use of human rights mechanisms and standards. Of course, carrying out the above-mentioned strategies alone will not prevent and deal with the increasing growth and development of terrorist crimes, rather, governments joining the regulations of regional and even international organizations and reflecting them in internal regulations are undeniable necessary measures. The research findings of this article indicates that the need to design and compile a standard document is considered as a matter of necessity and in this process, regional organizations should adopt a single policy for the prevention and suppression of terrorist crimes while converging and consensus.  This research has been done using qualitative method and descriptive-analytical approach, and the data has been collected and analyzed in the form of documents using a fingerprinting tool.

Keywords

References

Alzubairi, Fatemah. (2019). Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism in the Arab World. in: Colonialism, Neo-Colonialism, and Anti-Terrorism Law in the Arab World, Cambridge University Press.
Bashir, Khaled Ramadan. (2017). State Responsibility for Involvement of Nationals and Residents in Acts of Terrorism Aboard: Iraq as a Case Study. Florida Journal of International Law, 29(2): 152-180.
Boaz Ganor and Eitan Azani. (2019). Terrorism in the Middle East, in: The Oxford Handbook of Terrorism, ed. Erica Chenoweth et al. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019), 568–89,32.
Botha, Anneli. (2020). African Union Initiatives to Counter Terrorism and Develop Deradicalization Strategies. in:  Routledge Handbook of Deradicalization and Disengagement. Edited Bystig Jarle Hansen, Stian Lid, Routledge.
Bailey, Christopher E. (2019). Counterterrorism in the East African Community. in: Counterterrorism Law and Practice in the East African Community, Brill, 1-25. 
Blumenau Bernhard and Johannes-Alexander Müller. (2021). International Organizations and Terrorism. Multilateral Antiterrorism Efforts, 1960–1990, Terrorism and Political Violence (published online, 26 July 2021): 1–19.
Bröning, M. (2015). The All-Arab Army? Why the Arab League's New Force Spells Trouble, [Online] Available at: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/persian-gulf/2015-04-07/all-arabarmy
Dlamini-Zuma, N. (2015). Report of the Chairperson of the Commission on the Implementation of Communiqué PSC/AHG/COMM.2(CDLXXXIV) on the Boko Haram Terrorist Group and on Other Related International Efforts, Addis Ababa: African Union.
Dlamini-Zuma, N. (2015). Report of the Chairperson of the Commission on the Operationalization of the Rapid Deployment Capability of the African Standby Force and the Establishment of an “African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises, Adis Ababa: African Union.
Elingson, S. (1995). Understanding the Dialectic of Discourse and Collective Action: Public Debate and Rioting in Antebellum Cincinnati. American Journal of Sociology, July, 101(1): 100-144.
Eji, Eugene. (2021). Mapping the Contours of Terrorism and Counterterrorism in Africa, in The Routledge Handbook of Counterterrorism and Counterinsurgency in Africa, ed. Usman A. Tar (Routledge, 2021), 33–50.
Ewi, Martin and Anton Du Plessis. (2020). Counter-Terrorism and Pan-Africanism: From Non-Action to Non-Indifference, in: Research Handbook on International Law and Terrorism, edited by Ben Saul (Edward Elgar Publishing), 654–58.
Kingah, S. (2015). Can Regional Standards Prevent, Reduce and Eradicate Terrorism?, Maastricht: Maastricht University.
Kirkpatrick, D. D. (2015). Arab Nations to Form Military Force to Counter Iran and Islamist Extremists. [Online] Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/30/world/middleeast/arab-leadersagree-on-joint-military-force.html?_r=0
Mourad, M. & Bayoumy, Y. (2015). Arab Summit Agrees on Unified Military Force for Crises. [Online] Available at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/29/us-mideast-arabscommunique-idUSKBN0MP06120150329
Noueihed, L. & Fahmy, O. (2014). World: Arabs Vow to Confront Islamic State, Cooperate with International Efforts. [Online] Available at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/07/us-iraq-crisis-arabsidUSKBN0H20D220140907
Omenma, J. Tochukwu and Moses Onyango. (2020). African Union Counterterrorism Frameworks and Implementation Trends among Member States of the East African Community, India Quarterly 76(1): 103–19.
Wapmuk, Sharkdam. (2021). ECOWAS: Emerging Regional Architecture for Counterterrorism and Counterinsurgency in West Africa, in The Routledge Handbook of Counterterrorism and Counterinsurgency in Africa, ed. Usman A. Tar (Routledge), 318–19.
Sheeran, S. & Sir Rodley, N. (2013). Routledge Handbook on International Human Rights Law. 1st Edition ed. New York: Routledge.
Strydom, H. (2015). The African Union Lacks a Coherent Plan to Fight Terrorism. [Online] Available at: http://theconversation.com/the-african-union-lacks-a-coherent-plan-tofight-terrorism-41394
Tar, Usman A. and Anne Uchenna Ibobo-Eze. (2021). African Union: Emerging Architecture for Regional Counterterrorism and Counterinsurgency in Africa, in The Routledge Handbook of Counterterrorism and Counterinsurgency in Africa, ed. Usman A. Tar (Routledge), 299–314.
Aljazeera. (2014). Arab League pledges to tackle Islamic State. [Online] Available at: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/09/arab-league-islamicstate-201497164726900705.html
Amnesty International. (2002). The Arab Convention for the Suppression of Terrorism: A Serious Threat to Human Rights, s.l.: Amnesty International.
AU Peace and Security Department, (2014). The African Union Counter Terrorism Framework. [Online] Available at: http://www.peaceau.org/en/page/64-counter-terrorism-ct
Europafrica.net. (2010). AU Appoints Special Representative in charge of Counter Terrorism Cooperation. [Online] Available at: http://europafrica.net/2010/10/08/au-appoints-special-representative-incharge-of-counter-terrorism-cooperation/
Syrian Human Rights Committee. (2004). The Arab Convention for the Suppression of Terrorism: a Serious Threat to Human Rights. [Online] Available at: http://www.shrc.org/en/?p=19869
The Irish Times. (2014). Arab League Ministers Agree to Confront Islamic State. [Online] Available at: http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/middle-east/arab-league-ministersagree-to-confront-islamic-state-1.1920817
UN System Task Team, (2013). TST Issues Brief: Means of Implementation; Global Partnership for Achieving Sustainable Development. [Online] Available at: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/2079Issues%20Brief%20Mea ns%20of%20Implementation%20Final_TST_141013.pdf
Crisis Studies of the Islamic World
Volume 10, Issue 3 - Serial Number 30
autumnQuarterly
December 2023
Pages 75-95

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics