Talks in Countering Terrorism

Abstract

Talking to terrorists in countering terrorism is an attractive and mostly applied instrument for governments. Although commencing and continuing the talking process requires hard effort, it couldn’t achieve its aims completely. However, many efforts end with total failure. It has stated in literature that majority of the talks between government and terrorist groups include almost only ethnic separatist groups which have tangible political goals and greater longevity. It is discussed in the article whether the talking to terrorists is an useful instrument in counte- ring terrorism, and if it is so, when and how it could be employed for efficient results. The cases of PIRA, ETA, and LTTE have been scrutinized in order to reach the article’s aims. It is found that the talking to terrorists is helpful in a comprehensive and long run countering terrorism policy, but it is not useful to lessen the terrorism threat immediately and by itself.

Keywords

Talks, Negotiation, Terrorism, PIRA, ETA, LTTE

Citation

Demir, Cenker Korhan, "Talks in Countering Terrorism", International Relations, Volume 10, Issue 38 (Summer 2013), pp. 29-54.

Affiliations

• Cenker Korhan DEMİR, Dr., International Security and Terrorism Expert