Volume XXXIX – Number 2
Stephen Poulos
Abstract: Despite the pledges of many states and international organizations to confront the threat posed by terrorists, these attacks continue daily throughout the world. In the United States, new attention was focused on terrorism after the 9/11 attacks. On September 28, 2001, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1373, co-sponsored by the United States. This resolution created the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), whose mission includes the elimination of financial and other support for terrorist activities in all states, the creation of a network for cooperation, and the sharing of information about terrorist groups. Faced with this deadly threat that exists in every part of the world, can international organizations like the CTC address the problem of terrorism with meaningful solutions at all levels of international relations? This paper argues that although the CTC is rather new, it has managed to prove very effective in implementing the mission and pursuing the goals of Resolution 1373 by working with international, national, and local level organizations. Much of the CTC’s effectiveness is due to the way in which it works with players at all three levels to combat terrorism and its encouragement of cooperation between states at the regional and global levels. Evidence to prove this argument is gathered from international organizations, the US government, and local government agencies in Baltimore, including primary documents, interviews, and academic evaluations of its programs.
Keywords: Counter-Terrorism Committee, Terrorism, United Nations
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