28 April 2006
New Report Cites Integrated Efforts To Combat Terrorism
International partnerships key to global counterterrorism strategy
By David I. McKeeby
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- The United States continues to build an integrated alliance of nations united against terrorism, the State Department says in a new report.
“Through regional partnerships, the United States is building trusted networks that undermine, marginalize, and isolate the enemy, discredit the terrorist ideology of hate and violence, and empower legitimate alternatives to extremism,” according to Country Reports on Terrorism 2005, released April 28.
The annual report draws on a consensus among U.S. policymakers that in an increasingly interconnected world, defeating terrorism requires international partnerships not only to pursue various counterterrorist operations, but also to provide economic development assistance and assist with democracy-building programs designed to address the underlying causes of terrorism.
The report considers development and democratization programs an essential component of an effective counterterrorism strategy because, “systems characterized by an absence of political choice, transparent governance, economic opportunities, and personal freedoms can become incubators for extremism, hate, and violence.”
Among the partnerships highlighted in the report, is the Anti-terrorism Assistance Program (ATA) – In 2005, the State Department sponsored 217 courses to train 4,300 technical experts from 78 countries in the latest counterterrorism techniques. In all, over 52,000 students from 146 countries have been trained under this 20-year-old program, including the lead criminal investigators in several significant 2005 counterterrorist operations, including:
• Forensic and explosives experts in the Republic of Georgia who investigated an individual who threw a hand grenade towards President Bush as he delivered a speech in Tbilisi;
• The Indonesian National Police’s elite antiterrorism unit who located Azahari bin Husain, linked to the Bali bombings and an attack on the Australian Embassy in Jakarta; and
• Two investigators who identified explosives and methodology used by terrorists in multiple bomb attacks in New Delhi, India.
Another key partnership is the Middle East Partnership Initiative. This presidential initiative, launched in 2002, received $99 million in funding for fiscal year 2005, and has provided nearly $300 million to date in support of 350 democracy building, economic development, education, and women’s empowerment programs in 14 countries and the Palestinian territories. Among MEPI’s success stories in 2005 were:
• Increased transparency of regional elections through voter education and support of election monitors, journalists, and candidates;
• Entrepreneurial training, technical assistance, and advancement of credit to create and expand small and medium-sized businesses; and
• A professional network created for Arab women legal professionals.
Advances at the United Nations also have proved invaluable in the effort to fight terrorism. In 2005, the United Nations adopted two resolutions strengthening financial sanctions against terrorist groups and, by creating a directorate to promote counterterrorism cooperation among the 191 U.N. countries, enhanced the Counterterrorism Committee established under U.N. Resolution 1373.
In addition, a new report -- New Standards and Practices from the Group of Eight (G8) -- provides an update on the Secure and Facilitated International Travel Security Initiative. The effort by the G8 – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and Russia – seeks to develop international guidelines to maximize freedom of movement for international travelers and goods while minimizing the potential for terrorist disruption.
In the area of public diplomacy, the report details educational and cultural exchange programs, efforts to rapidly debunk misinformation spread by terrorist groups, and a series of radio, television, and Web-based communications in multiple languages that are designed to tell America’s story and “speak out in favor of tolerance and the rule of law to counter the violent extremists’ message of hate and terror.”
The U.S. and its allies made significant progress in 2005 in blocking terrorist financing by designating 26 individuals and three organizations as financiers of terrorism. They are among the 424 individuals and entities identified between 2001-2005 as terrorists, terrorism financiers, or terrorist facilitators. Over $150 million in total terrorism-related assets that have been identified and frozen during that same period.
In the Rewards for Justice Program, the United States paid out $6 million in 2005 for information that led to the capture and conviction terrorists. Under the Rewards for Justice program, the United States will provide cash awards of up to $25 million to anyone who can deliver credible information leading to the capture of terrorists or information concerning past or planned terrorist attacks.
Finally, under the Container Security Initiative, over 9 million shipping containers arrive in U.S. ports each year, constituting nearly half of America’s incoming trade. Under CSI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers work with their counterparts at 42 foreign ports to share intelligence to jointly locate and pre-screen specific containers identified as posing a potential terrorism risk.
The full text of the report is available on the State Department Web site.
For additional information, see Response to Terrorism.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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