Australia and the Threat of Terrorism in the Decade after 9/11

Bibliographic Data

ID6233368
AuthorsChristopher Michaelsen (UNSW Sydney, corresponding author)
Year2010
Volume18
Issue3
Pages248-268
Publication date2010-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAsian Journal of Political Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0218-5377 • E-ISSN: 1750-7812
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/02185377.2010.527212
OpenAlexW1987441684
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited19

In February 2010, the Australian government released its second Counter-Terrorism White Paper, claiming that terrorism continues to pose a serious security challenge to Australia. The article critically re-examines the terrorist threat to Australia and explores the threat posed by the traditional Al-Qaeda leadership, by regional organisations like Jemaah Islamiyah and by so-called ‘home-grown’ terrorists. Arguing that it is imperative to differentiate clearly between the threat to Australia and Australian interests abroad, the article identifies the sources of threat in the Australian context. It concludes that neither Al-Qaeda nor Jemaah Islamiyah nor home-grown terrorism poses any significant objective threat to Australia. At the same time it is acknowledged that the subjective perception of the terrorist necessitates the government to develop an effective counter-terrorism strategy. However, given that the terrorism threat is objectively low, policy measures addressing the threat ought to be carefully designed to meet the requirements of proportionality and (potential) effectiveness

Al qaeda · Context (archaeology · Criminology · Geography · Government (linguistics · Political science · Proportionality (law · Sociology · Terrorism · White paper · Law · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence

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