Barking Up the Wrong Tree: Why Counterterrorism Cannot Be a Defense of Democracy

Debates in democratic theory underestimate the dangers of confusing counterterrorism with the defense of democracy. This confusion is traced back either to the perception that terrorism constitutes a threat to the functioning of a democratic system, the similarity of measures deployed to defend democracy and to fight terrorism, or the misuse of the term “democracy.” However, terrorism is not a threat to consolidated democracies, but rather a threat to security. On the contrary, counterterrorism laws can themselves have negative effects on democracy. This confusion is hazardous and not merely a conceptual oversight, as it could justify unreviewed longer-term counterterrorism measures.