Populism as an element of security policy. The 2016 Polish Anti-terrorism Law - a case study

Artykuł naukowy w czasopiśmie recenzowany

Czasopismo: Sicurezza, terrorismo e società = Security terrorism society (ISSN: 2421-4442)
Współautorzy: Marek Górka
Rok wydania: 2017
Numer czasopisma: 5
Strony od-do: 69-87
Streszczenie: Abstract The European Union is facing the trouble which the US, after 9/11, had to deal with. How much safety are we ready to sacrifice for freedom and how many privileges and civil liberties can we give away for common safety, and finally: when is enough, enough? Europe is not as lavish with freedom slogans as the US, but we can assume that Europe is going to put an end to limiting civil liberties faster than Americans are. Reaction to terrorist attacks might be „a way towards populism”. Populism is especially visible during turning points or times of political crisis. Often the reaction of the state is inadequate to a terrorist attack. Almost every act of terrorism results in a strong reaction from the state. Usually, the first decision made is a halt in current law and order. Special rules and regulations become more significant. The article suggests that both authoritarianism and populism are part and parcel of political culture and they appear in the face of national danger. What is more, it is not clear which actions and repression used by the authorities could be considered anti-terrorism tactics, and which mere populist and authoritarian actions. This article analyzes whether there is a relation between democracy and terrorism. In other words, greater fear of the unknown results in an increase of authoritarian feeling and leads to looking for controversial and sometimes radical, solutions. Apparently, the more democratic a country, the more dissatisfied a society is, which contributes to lesser understanding of the complexity of the process and to making judgments as well. This paper analyze the Anti-terrorism Law, passed by the Polish Parliament in June, 2016. The said regulation is a way of a showing the authorities' will to manifest their consistent and uncompromising attitude towards threats. The Law intends to introduce: purchase of pre-paid cell phones only on presentation of an ID; holding in custody for 14 days those suspected of terrorism and also carrying out house searches at all times. However, some parts of this regulation seem to be colliding with the idea of a democratic state in which freedom is the superior value. The conflict, which has been caused while passing this Law, addresses two issues. The first one is a traditional conflict of values between security and liberty. The second one is a manifestation of a populist, and perhaps naive, belief that strict law will be an effective weapon against terrorism. It is very difficult to eradicate populism. It is going to be present one way or the other in the public sphere. What is more, populism is so flexible that it can adjust to any doctrine and political conditions. It is worth to verify if do modern, democratic citizens of Europe need populist governments? The answer to this question lies in social behaviors, especially during election campaigns in which politicians present their fresh and pragmatic look. The remedy for populist slogans is knowledge; it is also an effective tool in understanding the complex socio-political events.
Słowa kluczowe: counterterrorism, security, surveillance, Patriot Act, Freedom Act, freedom, privacy
Dostęp WWW: http://www.sicurezzaterrorismosocieta.it/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/SicTerSoc5_2017_03_Soler_Gorka-Populism-as-an-element-of-security-policy.pdf



Cytowanie w formacie Bibtex:
@article{1,
author = "Urszula Soler and Marek Górka",
title = "Populism as an element of security policy. The 2016 Polish Anti-terrorism Law - a case study",
journal = "Sicurezza, terrorismo e società = Security terrorism society",
year = "2017",
number = "5",
pages = "69-87"
}

Cytowanie w formacie APA:
Soler, U. and Marek Górka(2017). Populism as an element of security policy. The 2016 Polish Anti-terrorism Law - a case study. Sicurezza, terrorismo e società = Security terrorism society, 5, 69-87.