Escaping the Prisoner’s Dilemma Securing a Role for Human Rights in Counterterrorism

Benedetta Berti, Tufts University

Abstract

The objective of this article is to analyze the theoretical and practical implications of the ongoing debate about upholding human rights and fundamental freedoms while still effectively dealing with the global threat of terrorism in the post 9/11 world. The research uses the United Kingdom as a case study to evaluate the mechanisms for accommodating these equally fundamental concerns of states while avoid the “zero-sum” trap which has often characterized both the security and the human rights discourse, especially in the aftermath of 9/11.