How American is the War on Terror? The Genesis of a European Consensus against Terrorism and its Never Ending Failure.

The “war against terrorism” is certainly not an American invention. Indeed the current excesses and failures of antiterrorist policies were already a European concern prior to the 9/11 attacks and the ensuing common perception of a transatlantic rift in the debate on the “necessary sacrifice” of liberties in the name of national and international security. The historical background of contemporary European security concerns might thus allow shedding new light upon current American military Homeland counterinsurgency thinking. Instead of jumping on the bandwagon of easy explanations of the topical focus on the balance between liberty and security, I will suggest delving into the historical roots of the way in which these problems have been expressed in Europe and why. Such a historical perspective indeed raises a crucial question: how much longer shall we be made to believe that fighting terrorism is a proof of democratic values? ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]