The Rise of Global Counterterrorism

The Rise of Global Counterterrorism

Finn Schuemann '17, Staff Writer

As time has progressed into 2016, the world has changed in many ways. It has been over five years since the death of Osama Bin Laden, founder of Al-Qaeda, the infamous terrorist organization responsible for many attacks, including 9/11. No longer are the world’s enemies seen in the form of countries, but instead they operate on a transparent level, threatening the globe as a whole. Even though Al-Qaeda’s presence in the world has dwindled, they are still at large and a major threat to many nations.

With the death of Bin-Laden, multiple syndicates have risen to fill the void, including  ISIS, a militant caliphate that has grown exponentially. They have claimed responsibility for numerous strikes, such as the Paris attacks of 2015 and the Brussels bombings in March of 2016. As terrorism has risen in the world, much has been done simultaneously to eliminate this threat.

In September 2011, the Global Counterterrorism Force was created as a consortium between countries such as India, China, Russia, the European Union, Canada. Launched by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the GCTF was an initiative made to deal with 21st Century terrorism.

Although counterterrorism has been performed with good intentions since 2001, it has raised quite a bit of controversy. This includes the American invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 (that lasted until 2014) and the Iraq War. The prolonged periods of violence were seen as unsuccessful and unnecessary by many. Another example is the 2012 Benghazi attack in which Islamic militants killed U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and U.S. Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith.

The rising issue of terrorism has threatened global security, and while many possible solutions have been enacted–such as alliances in the form of the Global Counter Terrorism Force and coalitions between NATO–the global war against terrorism looks to be far from over. While fear may grow in the minds of many throughout the world, many countries still have a fighting push to protect the world from danger.