	Generational Dynamics
	Forecasting America's Destiny ... and the World's

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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 12-Mar-05
Tony Blair wins passage of Britain's Prevention of Terrorism Law

Web Log - March, 2005

Tony Blair wins passage of Britain's Prevention of Terrorism Law

Despite opponents' criticisms that the new law would be like America's Patriot Act, the British Parliament passed a new law targeted at Muslim extremists in Britain

The new law approves new government powers to order house arrest, impose curfews and electronic tagging of terror suspects without trial.

The law also provides for new "control orders" that allow the government to ban terror suspects from meeting certain people or traveling and to restrict their access to the Internet or telephone.

The bill was mired in bitter debate for several days.

Prime Minister Tony Blair said that national security must come before civil liberties considerations, and that the threat from Islamic extremists is unprecedented in its potential for harm. "There is one basic civil liberty, which is the right to life," he said.

Opponents decried the threatened loss of civil liberties. "We insist that the decision to impose a control order be a judicial decision made in accordance with due process and with necessary safeguards against injustices," said a leading opponent. "It is the perception of injustice . . . which may inflame communities and increase the danger of creating more terrorists than we can control either by imprisonment or by these orders."

The arguments mirrored the American debate over the Patriot Act, under which hundreds of Muslims were incarcerated after 9/11 for minor infractions of the law.

We've seen similar debates around the world. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf have both assumed extraordinary powers following terrorist attacks, with little opposition from the frightened members of the general public. In the Netherlands, the plan is to deport Muslims who can't pass a citizenship exam, and other European countries are also considering laws restricting Muslims.

This is typical of countries in a generational crisis period. A generational crisis period occurs roughly 60 years after the end of the previous crisis war (World War II in this case), when the generation of people who grew up during the crisis war all disappear (retire or die), all at the same time.

During a generational awakening period, like America in the 1960s and 1970s, the country moves in the direction of increased individual rights. During a crisis period, countries sacrifice individual rights in favor of national unity. We're at a unique time in history, when all the countries that fought in WW II are all entering generational crisis periods all at once, and all are increasingly passing laws emphasizing national unity over individual rights.

Other countries have gone even farther. North Korea has been mobilizing for war since last April to reunite North and South Korea under North Korean control, and has announced its intention to build nuclear missiles. China is rapidly building up its military capability for a war to reunite Taiwan with mainland China.

Generational Dynamics predicts that we're headed soon for a new "clash of civilizations" world war. In country after country, we're seeing generational changes that are triggering ancient historical forces to swell toward increased nationalism and national survival. As people's positions harden and the level of political conflict rises, war is the inevitable result. (12-Mar-05) Permanent Link
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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 12-Mar-05 Tony Blair wins passage of Britain's Prevention of Terrorism Law

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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 12-Mar-05
Tony Blair wins passage of Britain's Prevention of Terrorism Law