Fighting terrorism
There was an interesting article in The Economist back in November about how France and Germany fight terrorism. I was reminded of it today when French political darling, Nicholas 'whether I like it or not' Sarkozy, claimed (denied by Charles Clarke) that the British had arrested some members of the gang (not those who committed the atrocity) last year, and the BBC reports that France has reimposed European border controls for the time being.At this point I feel compelled to repring Mr Dennis Lennox's letter from Saturday's FT. It reminded me of a letter once in Viz, which said something like, 'Dear Sir, every day I give the local Police Station a list of what I did the previous day. This helps speed up their elimination of me from any criminal investigations they might have. Only those who have something to hide have anything to fear from such a practice'.
From Mr Dennis Lennox II.
Sir, Thursday's horrible terrorist attack in London reminded me of an increasingly more important issue in Europe: border control and security.
Since the introduction of the Schengen Agreement in 1985 - which was intended to promote free movement of Europeans across much of the continent - most countries have no idea who or what crosses their borders. While a novel concept, the agreement is quite flawed. It was intended for Europeans, but in
reality it applies to citizens of any country once they arrive in a Schengen-participating country. This allows terrorists, smugglers and other criminals to pass undetected. On my most recent trip to Europe, I arrived in Amsterdam on a non-stop flight from the US. Dutch border agents never bothered to question the reason for my visit or my intended destination. Instead, my passport was quickly stamped and I proceeded to catch a connecting flight to Brussels. I quickly located my baggage and met a friend with whom I was to stay in a nearby town. Later that evening, my friend and I were driving back to the Netherlands. We crossed without hindrance and returned to Brussels in just four hours. Two days later, I was back at the airport and boarding a flight to Denmark that, like Belgium and the Netherlands, is part of a "free movement zone". And just like with Brussels, I encountered no passenger checking. The Danes had no idea that I was in their country and, if they did discover that information through passenger lists, they wouldn't know my purpose or what I was bringing into their country. The next morning I was back to Brussels, where I remained for a couple days before returning to the US via Amsterdam.
I would think that so many border crossings in such a short period of time would spark some interest with some governmental agency responsible for intelligence or border control, but to my knowledge it didn't, which I find unacceptable in this post-September 11 world.
My only two solutions would be to abandon Schengen and institute checks for everyone at all points of entry, or refine Schengen so that citizens of member countries are the only ones allowed free movement, while everyone else is subject to entry approval.These two proposals probably won't be popular with many Europeans, but they have to be considered. Without stringent checks, more and more terrorist attacks and cross-border criminal activities will occur on the continent.
Dennis Lennox II,
Midland, Michigan 48640, US
posted by Matthew @ 7/13/2005 07:59:00 PM
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