NCJ Number
195144
Date Published
May 2002
Length
204 pages
Annotation
This document reviews the current global campaign on worldwide terrorism.
Abstract
Since the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 on the United States, diplomatic action has been implemented with leaders from more than 50 nations. The existing 12 United Nations Conventions against terrorism represent a solid international foundation. Public diplomacy has included countering distorted views of the United States overseas, emphasizing that the war on terrorism is not a war against Islam, and underscoring that terrorists are not martyrs but cowards and criminals. The sharing of intelligence among intelligence agencies around the world about terrorists, their movements, and their planned attacks has prevented attacks and saved lives. Law enforcement officials around the world have launched a global dragnet to identify and arrest terrorists. This has resulted in the apprehension of more than 1,000 suspected terrorists and the breakup of al-Qaida and other terrorist cells. The USA Patriot Act expands the ability of law enforcement to investigate and prosecute persons who engage in terrorist acts. The 33 designated foreign terrorist organizations make it a criminal offense to provide funds or other materials support to such organizations, require financial institutions to block the funds of the groups, and make members of the group ineligible for U.S. visas or deportable. Executive Order 13224 imposes penalties on those that provide financial support to terrorist organizations, prohibits transactions with terrorist groups and corporate and charitable fronts, and establishes the ability to block the U.S. assets of foreign banks that refuse to freeze terrorist assets. The military phase of Operation Enduring Freedom destroyed al-Qaida’s grip on Afghanistan by driving their Taliban protectors from power. The U.S. policy on terrorism is to make no concessions to terrorists and strike no deals, bring terrorists to justice for their crimes, isolate and apply pressure on states that sponsor terrorism to force them to change their behavior, and bolster the counterterrorist capabilities of those countries that work with the United States and require assistance. 10 appendixes