International security and intelligence cooperation : a collective case study of the OSCE and Europol

Abstract

Non-traditional, transnational security threats have developed into some of the most pressing threats to contemporary states. One of these threats is international terrorism. It has become evident through the 21st century that terrorists plan, plot and execute attacks across borders, and several attacks on European soil have revealed the challenge of suspects moving undetected between different countries. Recent examples of this in the public domain are the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris and the 2016 attacks in Brussels. These two attacks were the deadliest acts of terror since the second world war in both countries. Due to atrocities like these, and specifically after the 9/11 attacks in the US in 2001, it has become a general understanding in the international community that terrorism requires international cooperation to counter. An urgent part of national security has thus become the exchange of secret information, or intelligence, between states about the capabilities and intentions of non-state terror groups. In the aftermath of the Brussels attacks, it was revealed that the terrorist cell connected to the outrage was the same cell responsible for the attacks in Paris the year before. Members of the cell had been able to travel undetected between France and Belgium (Soufan, 2016). At the time, it seemed that terrorists crossed borders more easily than information and intelligence. The attacks have led to a number of ripple effects and caused politicians, academics and journalists to call for a closer and better cooperation between states.

This dissertation explores that subject: international security and intelligence cooperation, mainly for the purpose of counter terrorism, in the Transatlantic and Eurasian regions of the world, mainly focusing on Europe in particular. More specifically it investigates the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the European Police Office (Europol) as a juxtaposition about how two structures with similar focus areas and work have developed in different ways. The aim of the dissertation is to study the similarities and differences in characteristics between the OSCE and Europol to understand how they impact their ability to cooperate and exchange information and intelligence, whether or not the two structures impact the level of security in the Transatlantic and Eurasian region, specifically Europe, and in what ways. The findings are also used to draw some conclusions about the broader nature of international security and intelligence cooperation of the day.

At the outset, the OSCE and Europol look like similar organizations. On closer inspection, I discovered that the two are actually not, and that I was really comparing two fundamentally different groups. Despite similar expressed aims, one is a group and platform for discussion, the other has an actual operational remit and intelligence function. They were not initially developed for the same purpose or have the same methods of work. The research also indicates that the two organizations differ in their ability to successfully cooperate. Whereas the OSCE's ability to reach agreements face major challenges, due to a broad membership of non-like-minded states and a lack of trust, Europol arguably cooperates more successfully as an integral EU agency. Despite these significant differences, I argue that both organizations pursue the same overarching goal: security for the citizens, institutions and values of their respective regions, and in the light of the main topic of this dissertation: protection from terrorism. In addition, I argue that the two complete each other in this work, as their different approaches to countering terrorism contribute to the international efforts of tackling the multifaceted threat.