Comparative Study of the European Union and the African Union Counter -Terrorism Policy

Mgr. David Eyong Enow, B.A.

Master's thesis

Abstract:

Terrorism has become a global security challenge of the 21st century, as a global response to this growing negated and complex phenomenon, the European Union (EU) and the African Union have acknowledged the fact that it has become imperative to put in place counter-terrorism measures and policies aimed at minimizing the incidence of terrorism and if possible and necessary eradicate it in all its forms and facets, considering the geostrategic positions as well as the vulnerability of the member states of the two organizations to terrorist attacks . Both EU and AU have also embarked on a series of co-operation agreements on terrorism related matters. Terrorism is not a new phenomenon in the history of mankind, but the bombings of US Embassy in Kenya and in Tanzania in 1998, the September 11th terrorist attack against the United States, the Madrid 11 March 2004 bombing and the London bombings on July 7th 2005 and considering the fact that the magnitude of threat s posed by terrorist organizations around the globe has remained sustained and can no longer be underestimated or ignored has prompted me to make a comparative analysis of counter-terrorism measures and policies of the two organizations. In this book I shall be comparing and analyzing the EU and AU and their position within the regional and global security structure, the development and current threats of terrorism in the African Union and in the European Union, the actors of counter-terrorism in the two unions, the developments of counter-terrorism in the AU and in the EU, the input of counter-terrorism (definition of terrorism, conceptions, law, real impact on terrorism and in the last part I will dwell on the analyses of co-operation in the domain of counter-terrorism by the AU and the EU. I will conclude with a recommendation to both the EU and the AU counter-terrorism policy makers.

Keywords

Comparative Study, Counter-Terrorism, African Union, European Union, Policy

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 17. 12. 2008

Thesis defence

• Date of defence: 13. 1. 2009
• Supervisor: prof. JUDr. PhDr. Miroslav Mareš, Ph.D.
• Reader: doc. PhDr. Břetislav Dančák, Ph.D.

Masaryk University

Faculty of Social Studies

Master programme / field:
Political Science / European Politics (Eng.)