Alex Calvo is a Professor of International Relations and International Law, and guest professor at Nagoya University. An expert on Asian security and defense issues, he got his LLB from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS, University of London) and is currently doing an MA in Second World War Studies at the University of Birmingham. He is a former teaching and research fellow at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan).

The article is reprinted with permission of the author. The views expressed are exclusively those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by Common Sense.  

Time for Catalonia’s Interior Ministry to communicate in English, appoint liaison officers to London, Washington

 
In a global world, you can either explain what you do, or wait for others to do it, in which case you will have no right to complain. Catalonia has been managing her prisons for three decades, while her police force, the Mossos d’Esquadra, is responsible for most public security tasks and criminal investigations, and is taking on growing responsibilities in the fight against terrorism. However, this is often ignored by international media outlets, even when Catalan police carry out a major operation. Sometimes one finds few, if any, mentions of an operation in foreign newspapers, while in others it is wrongly attributed to a generic “Spanish police”, perhaps with a later mention, half buried in the text, to the “Mossos d’Esquadra”. It would be very tempting to blame journalists for this state of affairs, but we have to be realistic and ask ourselves whether Catalan authorities are doing everything they can to ensure that their work in the security arena is well known abroad. The answer to this question, unfortunately, is that there is still a lot they should be doing. At the very least publishing media releases and a newsletter in English, opening a Facebook page and a Twitter account in this language, and appointing police liaison officers to the Generalitat’s (Catalan Government) delegations abroad, starting with London and Washington.

The last major operation against Jihadism saw the Generalitat’s Ministry for the Presidential Department issue a media release in English a few hours after the arrest of 11 terrorists by the Mossos d’Esquadra. A positive, yet insufficient, step. By the time it was issued, many media outlets had already reported the operation, and not always in the most accurate manner. For example IB Times wrote “Spanish police have arrested 11 people”. The simultaneous publication of media releases on police operations, above all but not limited to those dealing with terrorism, is important in any circumstances. Even more so when Spanish authorities are waging a relentless campaign designed to portray an independent Catalonia as a Jihadist safe heaven. In order to combat this misinformation it is essential to explain what Catalan authorities are doing. There is no need for propaganda, lies, or exaggerations, just explaining to the world, in English, what is being done.

In order to achieve this basic, yet essential, goal, Catalonia’s Interior Ministry must publish all its media releases also in English, simultaneously. That is, at the same time, with no delay, as they appear in Catalan. In order to provide less time-critical, yet equally important background information, it is also necessary for the Ministry to publish an English-language newsletter. It could explain to diplomats, security experts, and foreign police officers, the work not only of the Mossos d’Esquadra, but also of local police forces, fire brigades, Catalonia’s “Agents Rurals” (rangers), and many other agencies little-known abroad. Also necessary are a Facebook page and a Twitter account in English. Let us make it clear again: In a global world, you can either explain what you do, or wait for others to do it, in which case you will have no right to complain. In other words: Spain’s diplomatic machine will not stop repeating the mantra that an independent Catalonia will be a Jihadist safeheaven, and the only antidote against this poison is timely information in English. There is no need to invent, or exaggerate, anything, just to explain what Catalan authorities are doing, and in some cases have been doing for years. Just to give an example, Catalonia manages her prisons, and has been doing so for three decades. This is a most important issue, given the role of prisons in Jihadist radicalization.

Another key step which cannot wait any longer is the appointment of liaison police officers to the Generalitat’s growing network of delegations abroad, starting with London and Washington. In a globalized world, where criminals and terrorist show little regard for borders, maritime democracies must ensure the highest possible degree of cooperation. Since Catalonia has her own police force, it must work to lay down the necessary formal and informal cooperation channels, and this necessarily involves a direct presence in the country’s main partners and Allies. This is important not only to efficiently exchange information and reinforce the fight against crime and terrorism, but also to ensure other countries understand that an independent Catalonia will be a serious partner and net security provider. A key issue when negotiating recognition.

Finally, it is necessary to ensure that the work of Catalan security agencies features regularly in think-tanks and specialized publications. This would help spread knowledge about their work among the academic and professional communities. In the case of publicly-funded think-tanks specialized in international affairs, this means making further financial contributions conditional on the launch of a research program on Catalan counterterrorism policy. Any resulting papers and books must be published simultaneously in English.