Cultures of Counterterrorism
This book investigates counterterrorism responses from a strategic-culturalist perspective, focusing on France and Italy in the post-9/11 era.
Terrorism occupies a predominant space within contemporary political debate across all European countries. Recent attacks in Europe have raised many questions about the status of counterterrorism structures within European countries, revealing a wide range of practical as well as discursive security implications. This work provides an original contribution to the understanding of counterterrorism by asking how values, norms, and a shared sense of identity matter in policy dynamics. It explores and assesses which cultural elements are relevant for the fight against terrorism and investigates the impact which these elements can have on practical approaches to terrorism. Despite the current attention to terrorist attacks in Europe, the cases of France and Italy in counterterrorism affairs are particularly overlooked by the existing literature; this book analyses, questions, and examines the strategy of these two countries through the instruments offered by the culturalist approaches to strategy.
This book will be of much interest to students of terrorism studies, discourse analysis, European politics, security studies, and international relations in general.
Silvia DAmato is currently the Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute and adjunct faculty at the James Madison University (Florence Campus). She has a PhD from the Institute of Humanities and Social Science of the Scuola Normale Superiore, Italy.
Contemporary Security Studies
This series focuses on new research across the spectrum of international peace and security, in an era where each year throws up multiple examples of conflicts that present new security challenges in the world around them.
Series Editors: James Gow and Rachel Kerr, Kings College London
Titles include:
Quasi-State Entities and International Criminal Justice
Legitimising Narratives and Counter-Narratives
Ernst Dijxhoorn
George W. Bushs Foreign Policies
Principles and Pragmatism
Donette Murray, David Brown and Martin A. Smith
Power Relations in the Twenty-First Century
Mapping a Multipolar World?
Edited by Donette Murray and David Brown
Deterring Russia in Europe
Defence Strategies for Neighbouring States
Edited by Nora Vanaga and Toms Rostoks
British Defence in the 21st Century
John Louth and Trevor Taylor
Cultures of Counterterrorism
French and Italian Responses to Terrorism after 9/11
Silvia DAmato
For more information about this series, please visit: https://www.routledge.com/Contemporary-Security-Studies/book-series/CSS
Cultures of Counterterrorism
French and Italian Responses to Terrorism after 9/11
Silvia DAmato
First published 2019
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
2019 Silvia DAmato
The right of Silvia DAmato to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: DAmato, Silvia, author.
Title: Cultures of counterterrorism : French and Italian responses to terrorism after 9/11 / Silvia DAmato.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2019. |
Series: Contemporary security studies
Identifiers: LCCN 2018045816 (print) | LCCN 2018047951 (ebook) | ISBN 9780429465369 (eBook) | ISBN 9780429878411 (Adobe) | ISBN 9780429878404 (ePub3) | ISBN 9780429878398 (Mobipocket) | ISBN 9781138611412 (hardback)
Subjects: LCSH: TerrorismFrancePrevention. | TerrorismItalyPrevention. | September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001.
Classification: LCC HV6433.E85 (ebook) | LCC HV6433.E85 D3495 2019 (print) | DDC 363.325/170944dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018045816
ISBN: 9781138611412 (hbk)
ISBN: 9780429465369 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Newgen Knowledge Works
A te Iaia
Contents
I have been attracted to the study of the dynamics of violence since I was enroled in my undergraduate program at the University of Florence. What I realized eventually was that, more than in violence per se, I was interested in the question of power relations in violent confrontations. I have always been attracted to the idea of understanding dynamics, and the implications, of the unbalances of power between parts in conflict. Civil wars, guerrillas, counterinsurgency, terrorism, counterterrorism, and political violence became core concepts of my academic and human interest.
My gratitude goes first to all those teachers and academics I had the chance to meet who decided that teaching was not only transmitting knowledge but mostly sharing the instruments to approach social life in a different, deeper, and critical way. I am here because some of them were committed to conveying the pleasure and privilege to think outside normality and superficial judgement.
This work is based on my PhD thesis, prepared and defended at the Department of Social and Political Science of the Scuola Normale Superiore in Florence. Hence, first and foremost, I am grateful more that I can express to Sonia Lucarelli, officially, my PhD supervisor. Unofficially, Sonia was a lot more than that. Not only did her undisputable knowledge and intelligence help me in conducting my research in the best conditions possible she also, and foremost, has been a rare example of honest, hardworking, demanding, but first of all giving, mentor. I am infinitely grateful for your time, energy, and patience, Sonia, and I am honoured to call you a friend at this point.
Also, I would like to thank Christian Kaunert, Marieke de Goede, and Francesco Strazzari for agreeing to examine my thesis and for being challenging and inspiring Jury Members. I would also like to thank my assigned Editor Andrew Humphrys and his Editorial Assistant Bethany Lund-Yates for their timely support and advice in the process of this publication, as well as, the two anonymous reviewers for their careful reading and constructive feedback in the early stages of this work.
I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to spend a part of my research period at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). A sincere thank goes to ACCESS Europe and its Managing Director Gijs van der Starre for hosting and welcoming me in the nicest way possible. More than anyone, I am infinitely grateful, again, to Marieke de Goede. Her passion, curiosity, and open-minded interest for the world was a real inspiration from a personal, rather than professional, perspective. Thank you for making me fell warmly at home in Amsterdam and for the interest and respect you always shown. Thanks to all the collegues at UvA and especially to Beste Isleyen, Marie Beauchamps, Marijn Hoijtink, Floris Vermeulen, and Payman Jafari who made my academic stay so interesting to make the constantly present Dutch rain an acceptable part of my everyday life and missing Nieuwe Achtergracht so much.
