201. The backlash against civil society in the wake of the long war on terror
- Author
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Howell, Jude, Ishkanian, Armine, Obadare, Ebenezer, Seckinelgin, Hakan, Glasius, Marlies, Howell, Jude, Ishkanian, Armine, Obadare, Ebenezer, Seckinelgin, Hakan, and Glasius, Marlies
- Abstract
The euphoria which emerged in the late 1980s with the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the spread of democratic regimes has been replaced in recent years by a sombre backlash against civil society on many levels and fronts. This has particularly intensified following the attacks on September 11 and the ensuing global war on terror. This working paper examines the causes of the backlash against civil society within the context of the War, describes the overt and implicit manifestations of that backlash, and reflects upon the implications for the future. It considers how the growing prominence of security concerns and the concomitant expansion of counter-terrorist measures across the world threaten the spaces for civil society to flourish and act. It argues that while the manifestations of the backlash, such as the crackdown on NGOs in Russia or the taming of NGOs by bilateral and multilateral agencies, may appear to be disparate, unconnected phenomena, on closer inspection it is clear that they are intricately intertwined.