Abstract
For decades, policymakers used theories developed by strategists to preserve vital national interests, during the Cold War for instance. However, the 09/11 attack entailed a radical change in the American security policy. Even on the greatest superpower, violent non-state actors could now inflict mass casualties. Later, the terrorist strikes in Madrid (03/11/2004) and in London (07/07/2005) caused a similar transformation in Europe. Facing the same problems, both sides of the Atlantic started to understand the necessity of cooperation. This was the beginning of “transatlantic homeland security”.
What does homeland security mean? It has been defined in the U.S. National Strategy for Homeland Security as « a concerted national effort to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, reduce America's vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage and recover from attacks that do occur », in 2003. However, this definition is an American one and we will see that conceptual debates do exist between European and American analysts. The transatlantic cooperation about homeland security occurs in different fields such as intelligence services or border control. Nonetheless, some aspects of this partnership have been highly criticized: some say it could be more efficient, others highlight the Human rights violations.
Extract
[...] However, since the hurricane Katrina, homeland security was enlarged with natural disasters management. - A different European conception: In Europe, the term "homeland security" seems largely unfamiliar: policymakers would rather use the term "societal security". Why? Because whereas homeland security has been a part of the counter-terrorism agenda in the USA, the European equivalent comes more from domestic law enforcement agencies working with civilian emergency response communities. Actually, the European approach "is an interagency approach protecting society that integrates public and private participants and is based on a comprehensive concept of security encompassing naturally occurring dangers as well as the threat of terrorism", according to Gustav Gustenau. [...]
[...] Also, the role of private companies mustn't be neglected. The selling of security technologies is an entire business according to Ben Hayes: "fuelled by a new politics of fear and insecurity, the corporate interest in selling security technology and the national security interest in buying security technology has converged at the EU level". Let's say, maybe also at the transatlantic level? According to him, the technological progress encourages the demands of governments: companies are the principal actor, and governments threaten citizens' privacy. [...]
[...] Three important measures concerning this field clearly do improve the transatlantic homeland security. In November 2001, the Congress adopted the Transportation Security Act which allows authorities to access the entire database collected by airlines concerning passengers arriving on the United-States. Of course, this measure didn't fit with the European values, but airlines accept to do it before the European legislation evolution. Negotiations occurred and in 2004, European and American authorities made a compromise, the Passenger Name Record (PNR) agreement. Made by the Bush administration in January 2002, the second decision to protect transports and borders at the transatlantic scale is the Container Security Initiative. [...]
[...] Crisis Management Subject: "The concept of transatlantic homeland security and its consequences". Introduction: For decades, policymakers used theories developed by strategists to preserve vital national interests, during the Cold War for instance. However, the 09/11 attack entailed a radical change in the American security policy. Even on the greatest superpower, violent non-state actors could now inflict mass casualties. Later, the terrorist strikes in Madrid (03/11/2004) and in London (07/07/2005) caused a similar transformation in Europe. Facing the same problems, both sides of the Atlantic started to understand the necessity of cooperation. [...]
[...] Hamilton, "what we are defending in the 21st century is our connectedness". Today, the functioning of our globalized world relies on integrated networks (information systems, food supply chains, energy transportation?). Moreover, Al-Qaeda itself is an integrated network, resulting of the globalization. As a consequence of this interconnected world, we need to cooperate between countries to ensure security. Firstly coined in Israel, the term "Homeland Security" has been then re-branded in the USA. Homeland security generally refers to the anti-terrorist campaign after the 09/11. [...]
