Violence and Security

CoE Body: "Modernize" Society Through Migration

July 19, 2017

According to a resolution adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (CoE), European countries should base their responses to large-scale migration flows on the principles of "human dignity and solidarity" and recognize that migration into their territories is necessary for "renewed dynamic and modernisation of societies."
Germany Passes Law Targeting Online "Hate Speech"

July 19, 2017

AP reports that German legislators have passed a law imposing substantial fines on social media companies that fail to remove in a timely manner content posted by users of their online platforms that German officials deem to be "hate speech" or "fake news" prohibited under the country's laws.
UN Welcomes Tech Counter-terrorism Collaboration

July 18, 2017

A UN official has welcomed the launch by technology companies Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, and YouTube of a "Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism," which will ramp up cooperation between these companies to remove "violent extremist" content from the internet and provides for expanding collaboration with the UN and EU on countering terrorist messaging.
UNESCO Seeks "Self-Regulation" to Combat "Fake News"

July 18, 2017

At a conference of European media lawyers in Paris, the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) Director for Freedom of Expression and Media Development, Guy Berger, called for more "self-regulation" by the media and internet companies in response to the proliferation of "fake news" that might influence the democratic process.
CoE: Media Must Avoid "Sensationalizing" Terror Attacks

July 18, 2017

The Council of Europe (CoE) recently held a colloquium in Strasbourg on the role and duties of the media in reporting terrorism, the purpose of which was, in part, to urge media actors to recognize a duty "to avoid sensationalist media reports which lead to the spread of public terror, fear and feelings of chaos" during and after terror attacks.
Qatar Is Magnet for Competing Islamists

July 17, 2017

Critics charge that the tiny Persian Gulf Kingdom of Qatar's policy of economic cosmopolitanism, through which it has created an outsized global financial footprint, has produced an open-door approach to competing Islamist leaders and groups that has aggravated Islamist extremism and violence.
Report Reveals Ambivalent Turkey-IS Relationship

July 17, 2017

Experts warn that a new report by NATO-member Turkey's Interior Ministry offering extensive information on the country's battle against the Islamic State (IS) contains underlying evidentiary details of the country's leniency and collusion in its relationship with the Islamist jihadi entity.
IS Military Defeat Raises Foreign Fighter Threat

July 17, 2017

Western security experts anticipate that the military defeat of the Islamic State (IS) caliphate in Iraq and Syria will cause a spike in terror attacks and Islamist recruiting efforts by "frustrated foreign fighters" in the West who no longer have a central caliphate destination.
UNGA Approves Counter-terrorism Coordinator

July 17, 2017

The Economic Times reports that the UN General Assembly (UNGA) has approved the consolidation of multiple UN entities dealing with terrorism into a single UN Office of Counter-terrorism, which will coordinate efforts within the UN system to prevent "violent extremism" around the world.
UNESCO Seeks "Anti-Extremism" Education in Lebanon

July 17, 2017

As part of its broad agendas pushing national governments to promote "global citizenship" and prevent "violent extremism" through their education systems, the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recently hosted a workshop in Lebanon on "mainstreaming" anti-extremism approaches in the country's schools.