Counter Terrorism and the Role of Intelligence

Specific Counter Terrorism Strategy and its Efficacy.

Thesis Statement

“An effective Counter Terrorism strategy can assure political, economic, social and cultural development of the country”.

Introduction

Terrorism could be defined as “organized violent acts intended to terrorize people; carried out in a systematic manner” (Berkowitz, 1997, pp. 107). Acts of terrorism could be perpetrated for ideological, religious, political or ethnic reasons. On the other hand, “Counter-terrorism refers to the techniques, strategies and practices adopted by the Government and its law enforcement and Defense agencies to deal with such threats. The development of an effective counter terrorism policy has been a priority of almost all countries of the world; since the atrocities of 9/11 (Donnely, 2001, pp.1).

Terrorism encompasses a wide array of actions and is not confined to merely religious causes. The Government and its Intelligence agencies must keep an eye on the country's domestic and International issues to eliminate terrorism. They should identify the potential signs of terrorism and deal with them in an appropriate manner. The issue of terrorism has probably been the most anticipated and discussed topic in this decade. However, for a safer world a lot needs to be done to protect the inhabitants of this Earth from its consequences (Heuer, 1999, pp. 265).

Every country of the world must adopt and follow a “Counter Terrorism Policy”. Proper funds must be allocated for its operations and maintenance. Counter terrorism strategies must be taken seriously and their implementation must be made possible at all tiers and levels of the Government. “An effective Counter Terrorism strategy can assure political, economic, social and cultural development of the country”. The “National Strategy for Counterterrorism, 2011” was adopted by the Obama administration on June, 29 2011. We will now analyze its features, effectiveness, goals and the overall structure of the strategy.

Discussion

National Strategy for Counterterrorism, 2011

Background

Almost a decade after the 9/11 attacks in New York City, the United States Government under the Presidency of Barrack Obama proposed a counterterrorism strategy to ensure the safety of the residents of the United States. The National Strategy for Counterterrorism was proposed on June, 29 2011. Although, since 9/11 the United States military along with the American coalition partners had taken effective steps to deal with Al- Qaeda and other terrorist organizations. But, in order to eliminate terrorism and possible threats to the United States, “the National Strategy for Counterterrorism” was adopted. If we analyze the past few years alone; the United States military and its allies have managed to eliminate key Al-Qaeda leaders. Also, they have managed to wipe out their bases in Afghanistan and Iraq. In order to secure the future generations of Americans and to promote peace in Afghanistan and Iraq, the National Strategy for counterterrorism was adopted.

Despite the successes of United States and its allies; American still remains prone to significant threats from various terrorist organizations. Hence, utilizing the available resources a defined road map had to be developed to promote the economic and social progress of the American society (Hoffmann, ...