For many countries, the threat of single issue terrorism, based around aspects such as separatism or political dissension, has been around for many years. However, the emergence of a global terrorist threat, allied to the globalisation process, precipitated the events of 9/11 and changed the political landscape for ever. Despite extensive law enforcement effort, the impact of the global terrorist threat has subsequently been felt in many countries, resulting in hundreds of deaths. As a result, no country should consider itself immune to attack.
The UK government's long-term strategy (2003) for countering international terrorism contains an excellent example of a strategic template and is based on four principal strands:
The Prevent strand is about tackling the radicalisation of individuals which sustains the international terrorist threat.
The Pursue strand is concerned with reducing a terrorist threat by disrupting terrorists and their operations.
The Protect strand is concerned with reducing the vulnerability of a country to a terrorist attack.
The Prepare strand is concerned with ensuring that a country or organisation is as ready as it can be for the consequences of a terrorist attack.
The key aim of any counter-terrorism (CT) strategy therefore should be to reduce the risk that people, organisations and countries face from international terrorism so that everyone can go about their business freely and safely. This is a critical area of development for many countries.
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