Taking the fight to the terrorists

Last March, I addressed a special meeting of corporate security professionals to mark my appointment as special advisor to the Board of Quest, the security and intelligence consultancy. At that meeting, I stated: “There must be a heightened level of concern, not panic, about the increased risks to corporate security. Businesses must be better prepared to ensure that they map out all potential threats – both physical and financial – to mitigate risk and reduce exposure. Whether it is identity theft, fraud or due diligence, businesses need to invest more in professional analysis and evaluation of their corporate security.”

Further along in my presentation, I added: “More must be done, particularly in the UK, to combat apathy in the corporate world, and sensitise those in charge of industry and commerce to deal differently with business in the 21st Century.”

Detailed intelligence gathering

The terrorists have certainly come a long way since the two attacks of 1998 against the American Embassies in Nairobi and Dar-Es-Salaam, not to mention the horrors of 9/11. Last month’s calculated ‘strikes’ on London’s transport system were the work of perpetrators who had an operational capacity of some considerable scope. There was meticulous planning, detailed intelligence gathering and a sophisticated choice of timing – as well as near perfect execution.

Make no mistake that we are now challenged by a deadly and determined adversary who will stop at nothing. The terrorists will persevere as long as they exist as a ‘fighting’ force. We are now in the throes of a World War characterised by the absence of lines of contact and an easily identifiable enemy. There are sometimes long pauses between one attack and the next, consequently creating the wrong impression that the battle is won, or at least that it is in the process of being won. We must guard against such complacency at all times.

Generally speaking, the population at large is not involved in the conflict, instead playing the role of bystander. However, once in a while these innocents are caught in the maelstrom, thereby suffering the most cruel and wicked of ‘punishments’ meted out by those who are not bound by any rules of conduct or any norms of structured society. Such was the case in London on Thursday 7 July.

For too short a while, we are all engrossed by the sheer horror of what we have seen and heard in the newspapers and on our television screens but, with the passage of time, our memories begin to fade and there is a return to normal routine. We forget that the terrorists are still raging and that more strikes will follow.

Unfortunately, it cannot be said that seven years after war broke out on both American Embassies there is a cessation in hostilities on the horizon. We are in for the long haul, and we must brace ourselves for more tension and atrocities to follow. The Great Wars of the 20th Century lasted less than this particular conflict, and there is no end in sight.

Our leaders will be tested

Given what has happened in central London, there will be supreme tests of leadership in this unique situation. People will have to trust the wisdom and good judgement of those chosen to govern them. Executives must be empowered to act resolutely, and to take every security measure necessary to protect their citizens. Combat must be carried into whatever territory the perpetrators and their temporal and spiritual leaders are inhabiting.

In a similar vein, the rules of combat must be rapidly adjusted to cater for the necessities of this new and unprecedented situation. International law will have to be rewritten in such a way that civilisation is allowed to defend itself. Anything short of this necessity would be a disaster, and must not be tolerated.

There can be no 100% protective measures put in place for every bus, every train, every street, every square. The ordinary citizen must be vigilant, and in so doing make their own personal contribution to the war on terror

The aim of ‘The Enemy’ is not to destroy western civilisation. Rather, its goal focuses on destroying its sources of power and existence, and to render its values and well-being relics of the past. The terrorists do not seek a territorial victory, and neither are they looking for a regime change. They want to banish western civilisation to the history books, and will stop at nothing less until their goal is reached.

The terrorists show no mercy and no compassion. There is no appreciation for the noble values practised by ourselves. This does not mean that we can – or should – assume the norms of our adversaries, nor that we might act indiscriminately. What it does mean is that the only way to ensure our safety and security will be to complete the destruction – and by that I mean the total destruction – of ‘The Enemy’.

Co-operation: a vital element

In recent times, much has been said concerning the vital need for international co-operation (which has been the major topic of conversation in the wake of 7/7).

An ‘essential’, and yet no measure of this will suffice. It cannot replace the basic requirement that each and every country should effectively declare itself at war with international Islamist terror, and recruit the public to involve itself in the battle under the directorship of legal powers-that-be.

In the past, Governments have been expected to provide security regimes for their citizens. In principle, that responsibility is still there. In practice, however, no Government in today’s world can provide an effective ‘suit of protection’ for the ordinary citizen.

Profound cultural change

When the US entered World War II, Congress approved that momentous decision by a majority of one vote. Profound cultural changes will have to be brought about. The democratic way of life will be hard-pressed to produce solutions enabling the executive branch to perform its duties (and, at the same time, to preserve the basic tenets of our democratic way of life). No easy task, but we must not lose sight of every necessity as we fight against the slaughter of innocents.

The war on terror is already one of the longest of modern times. As things stand, it is destined to play a part in our daily lives for many years to come – at least until ‘The Enemy’ is defeated, as it most surely will be.