The Global War Against Terror: The Challenge of Diplomacy

We destroyed al-Qaida's bases in Afghanistan, killed or captured many of its operatives, and put the rest on the run. Approximately 650 enemy combatants are now under U.S. control. At the same time, we and our allies have help liberate the Afghan people from the oppressive rule of the Taliban and their al-Qaida supporters.

The demonstration that the United States is prepared to use military force against regimes that support terror was a powerful object lesson for the state sponsors of terror. Since 9/11, states such as Sudan and Syria have worked to get on the right side of the ledger.

But military force alone will not suffice; indeed, for many phases of this long conflict, military power alone will not be the most important element of our campaign. We must also fight terror with every diplomatic, economic, law enforcement, and intelligence weapon we have in our arsenal.

We are using all these weapons in a coordinated, comprehensive campaign against the terrorist menace. Success will not come in one dramatic strike. Instead, it will come through the patient accumulation of many operations around the world whose effect will be cumulative until we break the back of terrorist organizations like al-Qaida.

Diplomacy

Like our military success, we have enjoyed resounding diplomatic success in various multilateral forums, including NATO and the OAS, both of which invoked collective self-defense clauses in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Australia, for the first time in its history, invoked the ANZUS treaty to provide military support to the United States. Other forums like the EU, G-8, ASEAN, and the OAU adopted constructive resolutions in support of the coalition and taken substantive steps to enhance information sharing and tighten border security.

We have also enjoyed tremendous in our bilateral relations with various members of the coalition in every region of the world. We have received solid cooperation from Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, and others, which has been encouraging.

We will continue to forge coalitions among other countries that are both willing and able to join in this fight. We will work together to ensure that our actions are coordinated and share the burdens appropriately. When governments are weak but willing -- where they need assistance in combating terrorism within their own borders -- we stand ready to help build their own capabilities to defeat the terrorist scourge. Our assistance covers the gamut from seminars in how to write, implement, and enforce anti-money laundering laws to specialized counterterrorism training programs. And when we confront countries that continue to actively sponsor terrorism, we will isolate them and take steps to compel them to stop their support.

The United States will also continue working to diminish the underlying conditions that allow terrorism to take root and flourish. Poverty and oppression are not the causes of terrorism. Nor are ethnic strife and disputes between countries. But poverty, oppression, ethnic strife, and regional instability all breed the sorts of grievances that extremists can then exploit for their nefarious ends. U.S. diplomatic efforts and foreign assistance programs are designed to address these underlying conditions and thereby deny terrorists the fertile soil they need to plant their poisonous seeds.

Public diplomacy has been an important aspect of our efforts as well. The Department of State has aggressively sought to counter distorted views of the United States overseas, to emphasize that the war on terrorism is not a war against Islam, and to underscore that terrorists are not martyrs but cowards and criminals.

Law Enforcement, Intelligence, and Financial

There have been impressive successes in the war on terrorism in areas other than diplomacy. Law enforcement and intelligence exchanges among nations have grown exponentially in the past year. As a result, we now count approximately 2700 al-Qaida suspects who have been detained in over 90 countries. That is an impressive global dragnet. Information provided by many of these detainees has yielded a wealth of useful and actionable intelligence that has allowed the United States and our allies to interdict cells, prevent additional attacks, and save lives.

Entire al-Qaida cells have been wrapped up in nations such as Singapore and Italy, among others. In all these cells, deadly attacks on U.S. interests or our allies were being planned.

Here in the United States, we have also disrupted al-Qaida cells. Earlier this month, Attorney General Ashcroft called October 4th "a defining day in America's war against terrorism." On that day, the United States: neutralized a suspected al-Qaida terrorist cell in Portland, Oregon; convicted would-be shoe bomber Richard Reid; and sentenced American Taliban John Walker Lindh. Another al-Qaida cell was uncovered and its members arrested in Lackawanna, New York this past summer.

The war being waged on the financial front is also showing impressive results. So far, over 160 countries have joined us in blocking $113 million in terrorist assets. More than 215 terrorist groups and entities have been designated under the president's executive order that freezes U.S.-based assets.

Countries around the world have submitted reports to the United Nations on the actions they have taken to block terrorist finances, as required under UNSCR 1373, which calls on all nations to keep their financial systems free of terrorist funds.

The Financial Action Task Force -- a 29-nation group promoting policies to combat money-laundering adopted strict new standards to deny terrorists access to the world financial system.

The European Union has worked closely with the United States to ensure that nearly every terrorist individual or group designated by our government is also designated by the EU. The Netherlands recently took effective action to seize the financial assets of the New People's Army terrorist group in the Philippines. In August, Italy joined the United States in submitting to the UN the names of 25 individuals and companies linked to al-Qaida so that their assets could be frozen worldwide.

Two days ago, the United States blocked the assets of the Benevolence International Foundation, which for years masqueraded as a charity but in fact, has strong ties to al-Qaida. Its CEO is closely associated with Usama bin Ladin and has helped his cause financially.

The G-8 nations have committed themselves to a range of measures aimed at seizing terrorist assets. The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation group, APEC, has adopted an ambitious anti-terrorist finance action plan. The United States recently joined with Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan and China in including the Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement on the UN's list of organizations affiliated with al-Qaida.

Last week, the State and Treasury Departments announced a $5 million rewards program that will pay for information leading to the disruption of any terrorism financing operation.

As a result of all these efforts, it is much harder today for terrorists to raise and move money. Many who formerly provided financial support for terrorism seem to have backed away. Some facilitators have been captured and arrested. The international banking system is no longer a system that terrorists can safely use. Terrorists must be forced to look over their shoulder, wondering it is safe to move, raise funds, plan and conduct operations.

I have focused on our many accomplishments diplomatic, military, law enforcement, and economic. As significant as those have been, however, it is important not to think that victory is on the horizon. Far from it. Indeed the success of this campaign will hinge on two factors: sustained international political will and effective capacity building.

First, we've got to sustain and enhance the political will of states to fight terrorism. The secret of maintaining a coalition is demonstrating daily to its members that the fight is not over and that sustained effort is clearly in their long-term interests. My meetings with government officials in every region of the world have convinced me that we have made tremendous progress on that score.

Second, we have got to bolster the capacity of all states to fight terrorism. Despite our unmatched power, we recognize that the United States will not be able to win without the help of others. This is a global fight that requires a global system to defeat it. Simply put, the United States cannot investigate every lead, arrest every suspect, gather and analyze all the intelligence, effectively sanction every sponsor of terrorism, prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, or find and fight every terrorist cell. President Bush has stressed from the beginning, "The defeat of terror requires an international coalition of unprecedented scope and cooperation." So our effort must also be truly international.

Although many states have moved forward, some are still hampered

• by weak or corrupt law enforcement and intelligence agencies;
• by a lack effective legal instruments for prosecuting terrorists;
• by porous borders readily exploited by terrorists, drug traffickers, and other illicit actors; and
• by governments that are poorly organized for combating terrorism.

Around the world, we are working to build up other nations' forces so that they can take the fight to the terrorists from the streets of Sanaa in Yemen to Pankisi Gorge in Georgia, from the island of Basilan in the Philippines to the jungles of Colombia.

A number of powerful tools are at the disposal of governments that want to improve their CT capabilities. Some of these are available through the USG; others are a product of the international community. These include:

• The 12 international CT conventions, which can serve as the basis for counterterrorism efforts grounded in the rule of law, a key component of our policy;
• Best practices (e.g., the G-8 and hostage taking) no need to reinvent the wheel; 30 years of CT experience have given us an understanding of what needs to be done to be effective in a terrorist crisis;
• The State Department's Anti-Terrorism Assistance (ATA) program, which trains foreign police and security forces in critical skills, such as airport security, post-blast investigation, and leadership protection;
• Senior Policy Workshops, which build bilateral CT relationships while promoting interagency CT cooperation within friendly governments;
• Regional cooperation working together to strengthen border security, improve legislation, a share law enforcement information is essential. Regional conferences (e.g., Southeast Asia, Central Asia) arranged by the counterterrorism office help promote such cooperation by bringing security officials together to share ideas and experiences and develop common approaches to preempting, disrupting, and defeating international terrorists.

Using another powerful tool in the global fight against terrorism, the State Department, working with the Justice Department, last month completed a series of legislative seminars to help other countries strengthen their counterterrorism law and regulations. Justice Ministry and Parliamentarian officials and members from 35 nations took part in the week-long sessions in Washington. The seven seminars were organized on a regional basis, and included countries from Central America, Latin America, South East Asia, East Asia, Southern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa

A series of speakers from various U.S. Government agencies provided suggestions for points to consider in evaluating and writing counterterrorism law in a variety of areas, such as terrorism financing and banking laws, immigration laws and export controls. Speakers from the United Nations Counterterrorism Committee discussed the requirements of UN Security Council Resolution 1373. At our invitation, speakers from the UK, Australia, Canada, and Germany also described their counterterrorism laws at various seminars. U.S. Attorneys from various parts of the country came to Washington to assist each delegation and discuss issues in more detail during daily breakout sessions.

The seminars were intended to offer suggestions and guidelines, not specific drafting language. However such disparate participants as Pakistan, Indonesia, and South Africa already are introducing or preparing to introduce revised legislation. As a follow-up to the seminars, we are discussing with the Justice Department a second phase to send legal experts to provide actual hands-on drafting assistance to selected countries. The number of countries will depend upon the funding available through the State Department's Antiterrorism Training Assistance program, for which the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, my previous job, provides policy guidance and the Diplomatic Security Bureau, which I now head, implements. We plan to work with the UN CTC Committee which is trying to coordinate UNSCR 1373 assistance with the UK, France, and other countries have indicated a willingness to help other governments seeking aid.

Conclusion

The President, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of Defense together have been direct with the American people regarding the duration of the war against terror. Five words: "as long as it takes." Years, perhaps decades. But the seriousness of the threat to America, our friends and interests demand nothing less.

This is a war of many fronts and many different types of successes -- some seen, some unseen. This is a war where tracking complex financial transactions can have more impact on our enemy than an artillery barrage. This is a war where effective diplomacy and police work can thwart terrorist attacks more effectively and at less cost than a precision air strike. This is a war where diligent collection and sharing of intelligence will produce results as far-reaching as a major military operation.