The Counterterror Coalitions: Cooperation with Europe, NATO, and the European Union
Abstract
Shortly after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, Air Force Chief of Staff General John Jumper asked the RAND Corporation to conduct a study entitled "Thinking Strategically about Combating Terrorism." The year-long project was divided into four research tasks, each undertaking different yet complementary aspects of the counterterrorism problem: 1. Threat assessment -- identifying the character and boundaries of the threat; 2. The international dimension -- assessing the impact of coalition and other international actors on U.S. options; 3. Strategy -- designing an overarching counterterrorism approach; 4. Implications for the Air Force -- identifying promising applications of air and space power. The research for this report was conducted as part of the second task, on international aspects of counterterror cooperation. It examines European responses to the September 11 attacks and the subsequent war in Afghanistan, and assesses the types of cooperation that the United States will need from Europe to achieve its counterterror objectives. It also assesses the ways in which NATO and the European Union are reforming their agendas to address the threat of terrorism and the areas of mutual cooperation that will most benefit the United States. This report is part of a series on international counterterror cooperation. Forthcoming reports in this series will examine other regions of the world, including the former Soviet Union and South Asia, and will assess the linkages between different functional areas of international cooperation against terrorism. Although these reports address a wide variety of subjects, they build on a common principle: counterterror cooperation occurs across numerous issue areas, including military, financial, law enforcement, and intelligence. An effective counterterror strategy will need to address each of these dimensions and account for some of the synergies and frictions among them.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA432765
Entities
People
- Nora Bensahel
Organizations
- RAND Corporation