Uniting Against Terror: Cooperative Nonmilitary Responses to the Global Terrorist Threat

361 Pages·2007·5.52 MB·English

by  Lee H. Hamilton

POLITICAL SCIENCE/INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS U
Uniting Against Terror
n
COOPERATIVE NONMILITARY RESPONSES TO THE GLOBAL TERRORIST THREAT
edited by David Cortright and George A. Lopez i
t
foreword by the Honorable Lee H. Hamilton i
n
As terrorist attacks continue around the world, from g
London and Madrid to Afghanistan and Iraq, questions

multiply about the effectiveness of current antiterrorist A
strategies. America’s reliance on military approaches and
g
the Bush administration’s avowal of a constant state of
a
war have overshadowed nonmilitary, multilateral efforts,
and there has been an analogous neglect of these alter- i
n
native strategies in the literature on terrorism. Uniting
s
Against Terror fills this gap, examining and evaluating post-9/11 cooperative nonmilitary responses
t
to the global terrorist threat, with a particular focus on efforts of the United Nations, the Financial

Action Task Force, the European Union, and a wide array of multilateral institutions. T
Uniting Against Terror argues that defeating the global terrorist threat requires engaging interna- e
tional financial, diplomatic, intelligence, and defense communities and law enforcement organiza- r
tions in an atmosphere of cooperation. It examines cooperative diplomatic and economic policies to r
o
address the changing face of terrorism and the global Al-Qaida threat, differentiates between protec-
tive measures and long-term preventive policies, and makes recommendations for effective coopera- r
tive nonmilitary strategies. Included are chapters that analyze the UN and its role, the unique blend
of sanctions and diplomacy that convinced Libya to end its support of terrorism, efforts to halt the
financing of terrorist networks, and an account of the European Union’s unified “Plan of Action”
against terrorism.
David Cortright is a Research Fellow at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies
at the University of Notre Dame and President of The Fourth Freedom Forum. George A. Lopez is
Senior Fellow and Professor of Political Science at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace
Studies. Cortright and Lopez have edited several other books together, including, most recently,
Smart Sanctions: Targeting Economic Statecraft. Uniting

“Cortright and Lopez have done a huge service to all those interested in pursuing the pros and cons of an activist foreign
policy, short of the recourse to war. Chapters by well-known experts describe real-life experiences dealing with ‘rogue
states’ like Libya, and there is also a very useful review of the surprisingly effective counterterrorism activities of the United Against
Nations, little known and less understood in the United States. The thoughtful, and characteristically low-key but potent, LC
o
foreword by former Congressman Lee Hamilton is worth a read in itself. Altogether, a major contribution.” po
r
—a. peter burleigh, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (1997–1999) et
r
“This valuable volume makes clear that national interests and national conceptions of terrorism require acceptance z, eigh Terror
and support from other countries in order to yield effective strategies. In these circumstances, as with Libya, positive dt
r—esdulatvs icdan m em. meragle.o”ne, Canadian High Commissioner to India, Canadian Ambassador to Nepal and Bhutan, and itoan
rd
author of The International Struggle Over Iraq s
“Thought provoking. Uniting Against Terror provides a comprehensive overview of current multilateral efforts and ini-
COOPERATIVE NONMILITARY RESPONSES
tiatives, and proposes a sound and practical way forward in order to improve counterterrorism efforts world-wide.”
—karin von hippel, Co-Director, Post-Conflict Reconstruction Program, CSIS, Washington, DC
TO THE GLOBAL TERRORIST THREAT
the mit press 978-0-262-53295-2 / 0-262-53295-6
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142 edited by David Cortright and George A. Lopez
http://mitpress.mit.edu
foreword by the Honorable Lee H. Hamilton
cover photo: AP Photo/EFE, Gustavo Cuevas. back cover photo: UN Photo/Rick Bajornas.
Uniting Against Terror

Uniting Against Terror
Cooperative Nonmilitary Responses to the Global
Terrorist Threat
edited by David Cortright and George A. Lopez
The MIT Press
Cambridge, Massachusetts
London, England
© 2007 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any
electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or informa-
tion storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from the publisher.
For information about special quantity discounts, please send e-mail to
<[email protected]>.
This book was set in Sabon by SNP Best-set Typesetter Ltd., Hong Kong.
Printed on recycled paper and bound in the United States of America.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Uniting against terror : cooperative nonmilitary responses to the global terrorist
threat / David Cortright and George A. Lopez, editors.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-262-03368-8 (hardcover : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-0-262-53295-2
(pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Terrorism—Prevention—International cooperation. I. Cortright, David,
1946– II. Lopez, George A., 1950
HV6431.U56 2007
363.325′17—dc22
2007000948
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Foreword vii
The Honorable Lee H. Hamilton
Acknowledgments xi
Acronyms xix
1 Strategic Counter-Terrorism 1
David Cortright and George A. Lopez
2 Global Cooperation Against Terrorism: Evaluating the United
Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee 23
David Cortright, George A. Lopez, Alistair Millar, and
Linda Gerber-Stellingwerf
3 Strengthening International Law and Global Implementation 51
Eric Rosand and Alistair Millar
4 Unilateral and Multilateral Strategies Against State Sponsors of
Terror: A Case Study of Libya, 1979 to 2003 83
Thomas E. McNamara
5 Cutting the Deadly Nexus: Preventing the Spread of Weapons of
Mass Destruction to Terrorists 123
Alistair Millar and Jason Ipe
6 Terrorism Defanged: The Financial Action Task Force and
International Efforts to Capture Terrorist Finances 157
Kathryn L. Gardner
7 The European Model of Building Regional Cooperation Against
Terrorism 187
Oldrich Bures and Stephanie Ahern
vi Contents
8 Strategies and Policy Challenges for Winning the Fight Against
Terrorism 237
David Cortright and George A. Lopez
Bibliography 275
About the Authors 311
Index 315
Foreword
The Honorable Lee H. Hamilton
The United States is engaged in a generational struggle against a cata-
strophic terrorist threat. There is no quick fix or victory to be won. We
need a clear, comprehensive, and sustainable counter-terrorism strategy.
To succeed, we must avoid misunderstanding the nature of the con-
flict. We are not engaged in a clash of civilizations or in a war against
the tactic of terrorism. Both of those definitions are too broad, and those
conflicts are unwinnable. Nor are we engaged in a fight against a fixed
group of terrorists or a small collection of states that sponsor terrorism.
Both of those definitions are too narrow and fail to encompass the expan-
sive nature of the threat.
Our enemies are twofold: Al-Qaida, a stateless network of terrorists
that struck us on September 11, 2001 (9/11), and a radical ideological
movement in the Islamic world, inspired in part by Al-Qaida, which has
spawned terrorist groups and violence across the globe. The first enemy
is weakened but continues to pose a grave threat; the second enemy is
gathering and will menace American people and interests long after
Osama bin Laden and his cohorts are killed or captured. Thus our
strategy must match our means to two ends: dismantling the Al-Qaida
network and, in the long run, prevailing over the ideology that gives rise
to terrorism.
What should this strategy look like? First, it must be balanced. The
first phase of our post-9/11 efforts rightly included robust military action
to topple the Taliban and pursue Al-Qaida. Although military force can
destroy terrorists and their safe havens, it cannot bear burdens as diverse
as tracking down funds and changing hearts and minds. Rather, long-
term success demands all elements of national power—diplomacy,
viii Foreword
intelligence, covert action, law enforcement, economic policy, foreign
aid, public diplomacy, and homeland defense. If we favor one tool while
neglecting others, we leave ourselves vulnerable and miss an opportunity
to deploy the United States’ full arsenal of power.
Second, these efforts must be integrated. We cannot succeed if the tools
of government work in isolation from, or in conflict with, one another.
We need focused institutions, White House coordination of our institu-
tions of government, leaders who set clear priorities, and vigorous con-
gressional oversight. Just as we tailored our government to uniformly
fight communism through areas as diverse as military strength, Voice of
America, the peace corps, and overseas libraries and cultural centers, so,
too, must we fashion a government that works as one to counter current
threats.
Third, we must also integrate our efforts with friends and allies. We
face an enemy that germinates in the cities of Europe, the deserts of
Africa, and the islands of Southeast Asia. We cannot possibly root out
this enemy alone. We need vigorous bilateral cooperation in everything
from law enforcement to aid programs. And we need a multilateral
framework that multiplies our strength—through reinvigorated and
reformed cold war–era alliances and institutions, a new institution to
facilitate dialogue and cooperation between the Islamic world and the
West, and new agreements to combat the nexus of terrorism and the pro-
liferation of catastrophic weapons.
Last, and most important, we need to be a force for hope in the Islamic
world. Millions of young Muslims grow up lacking political freedom,
economic opportunity, and hope. Instead of practical schooling, they
often receive unrelenting messages of hatred and fanaticism, along
with a tragic distortion of religion. They are taught to blame the United
States for the world’s ills and their personal suffering and to see Islam
as a means for war. Reversing this trend will take time, effort, and
resources—reconsideration of some of our alliances; outreach to mod-
erate voices; support for educational reforms; the expansion of trade,
jobs, and opportunity; gradual political change; and the resolution of
protracted conflicts.
This collection of expert analyses and essays assembled by David
Cortright and George Lopez provides a blueprint for moving forward.
Foreword ix
Through historical cases and detailed arguments covering the wide array
of counter-terrorism strategies and tactics I mention above, the essays
demonstrate how a sustainable counter-terrorism strategy can be suc-
cessfully implemented and integrated. I commend these two scholars and
their chapter authors for so capably demonstrating the real victories, best
practices, and tasks that lie ahead in the powerful convergence of inter-
national law, nonmilitary organization, and diplomatic cooperation in
the war on terror.
It is especially important that journalists, policymakers, and other
scholars understand the lessons offered by the findings of this book. For
instance, that Libya dismantled its dangerous weapon systems as a result
of multiyear and multinational diplomatic work, not out of fear of U.S.
military power that had been applied in Iraq. Such carrot-and-stick
strategies may work with other nuclear or would-be nuclear states, but
only if they are vigorously and astutely pursued. Similarly, for all the mil-
itary victories we have assembled against Al-Qaida, this volume details
the equally important policy of locking down terrorist financial assets
and stifling their techniques for money transfer and laundering. And the
law enforcement networks that have emerged in Europe, as well as the
successes and shortcomings in the work of the United Nations and inter-
national law, provide valuable lessons.
Sometimes it seems that terrorists are one step ahead of successful
policy. Islamist terrorism morphs into an ever-more decentralized series
of networks, with new targets and tactics, and the ability to capitalize
on new grievances. So it is with weak and failing states and the disturbing
number of states with—or actively pursuing—nuclear weapons.
In such a world, no one element of U.S. power can keep us safe;
instead, turning the tide on global insecurity depends on our ability to
integrate the tools of American power. Military power alone cannot
protect America or our allies. The major contribution of this volume is
that it clearly shows when diplomatic, economic, and legal tools have
worked, and how they can be mobilized to combat the swelling turmoil
in the world.
Turmoil is swelling in the world at a moment when American power
is preeminent. If we seek to impose our will on the world without acting
with others, we will be isolated. If we stress one tool of American power