With new centre, Dutch eye international strategy for counter-terrorism (pdf)
The Holland Times, July 2010

“The Hague maintained its reputation as the centre of international peace, security and justice when a new international institute on counter-terrorism was opened in early June at the Peace Palace.”

An initiative of the Dutch parliament, the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT), is an independent knowledge centre which will focus on creating, collating and disseminating information related to the preventative and legal aspects of counter-terrorism.

“Prevention must be a significant part of the international response to modern-day terrorism,” said Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen (CDA) at the opening of the centre, adding that it’s other main task “will be to focus on international legal issues related to combating international terrorism, including the fight against impunity for terrorist acts.”

Minister Verhagen observed that despite the global condemnation of terrorism, what was lacking was a “united and effective response to the challenges that terrorism poses” both legally and politically.

Pointing to the deadlock at the United Nations on a comprehensive convention on international terrorism, the minister expressed hope that “the international community can soon agree on a realistic definition of what constitutes a ‘terrorist act’ and conclude this new treaty, which will complement the existing legal framework.”

Isabelle Duyvesteyn, associate professor at Utrecht University says while the ICCT is set up to formulate policy it does stress preventative measures and has strong legal aspects in their approach.

Duyvesteyn heads a research project examining the history and effectiveness of modern counter-terrorism and is currently working on a major piece looking at its history from 1945 to 2005. She observes two major issues of paramount importance for the ICCT in establishing an international framework.

“Legal procedure requires a clear definition and a major challenge for the ICCT is that different legal approaches apply in different countries,” she says.

What’s more, the decisions made by the ICCT must have a national resonance. “Legal procedure is intended to appeal for a domestic audience to demonstrate that something is being done,” she says. On this point, Duyvesteyn questions on how effective such a concession would this be in curbing or decreasing terrorism.

Minister Verhagen expressed support for a “ realistic definition” of counter-terrorism policy, but says the ICCT will base itself on the counter terrorism strategies of the UN and EU which describe factors “conducive to the choice of people or organisations to revert to political violence.”

Duyvesteyn says it will be difficult to criminalise terrorists as this invariably creates heroes and martyrs. “It is problematic to criminalise something where there is a contested legal definition,” she explains.

The ICCT is a partnership consortium of three institutions including the T.M.C. Asser Instituut, The Hague campus of the Centre for Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism at the University of Leiden and the Netherlands Institute of International Relations, Clingendael.