Terrorism and Counterterrorism

Terrorists force us to change long-established lifestyles. The reactions of civil society, nations, regional organizations and the UN constitute a broad-ranging counterterrorism effort. Relations between civil groups and governments can be tricky for both sides but are essential; nations must provide public reassurance, avoid alienating society or reinforcing stereotypes, and tackle both terrorist attacks and their underlying causes. Small groups of nations or regional organizations struggle to avoid duplication and ensure coordination. Practical results can be hard to assess. The UN, burdened by multitudinous bodies and relationships, finds implementation uphill work. Promisingly, the bottom-up (civil society) approach is now meeting the global top-down (UN) drive. The future should bring not only incremental improvements but new thinking to meet long-term challenges including trusted data-sharing, metrics for projects, matching needs and offers of support and, importantly, societal awareness of the deeper issues surrounding terrorism.