In 2001, terrorism cast its lethal shadow across the globe—yet the world’s resolve to defeat it has never been greater.
When the terrorists struck on September 11, their target was not just the United States, but also the values that the American people share with men and women all over the world who believe in the sanctity of human life and cherish freedom. Indeed, citizens from some 80 countries were murdered in the attacks.
Nations of every continent, culture, and creed, of every region, race, and religion, answered President Bush’s call for a global coalition against terrorism. In the months since the attacks, we and our Coalition partners have taken systematic measures to break terrorism’s global reach.
Country by country, region by region, we have strengthened law enforcement and intelligence cooperation and we have tightened border controls to make it harder for terrorists to move about, communicate, and plot.
One by one, we are severing the financial bloodlines of terrorist organizations.
As the result of the Coalition’s operations in Afghanistan, al-Qaida and Taliban leaders are now either captured, killed, or on the run. And there are fewer and fewer places they can run to—except into the long arms of Justice.
Coalition forces have lifted the yoke of oppression from the backs of the Afghan people. Afghanistan’s political transformation is underway toward a government that represents citizens of every ethnic back- ground, women as well as men. The world community already has committed an initial $4.5 billion to put the country back on its feet and its future back into the hands of its people, so that Afghanistan will never again become safe ground for terrorists.
But the campaign against international terrorism isn’t only about Afghanistan and bringing the perpetrators, planners, and abettors of the September 11 attacks to account. It is also about bringing the international community’s combined strengths to bear against the scourge of terrorism in its many manifestations throughout the world.
The terrorist threat is global in scope, many faceted, and determined. The world’s response must be equally comprehensive, multi-dimensional, and steadfast.
We and our Coalition partners must be prepared to conduct a long, hard campaign, measured in years and fought on many fronts with every tool of statecraft—political, diplomatic, legal, economic, financial, intelligence, and when necessary, military.
In this global campaign against terrorism, no country has the luxury of remaining on the sidelines. There are no sidelines. Terrorists respect no limits, geographic or moral. The front lines are everywhere and the stakes are high. Terrorism not only kills people. It also threatens democratic institutions, undermines economies, and destabilizes regions.
This chilling report details the very clear and present danger that terrorism poses to the world and the efforts that the United States and our partners in the international community are making to defeat it.
The cold, hard facts presented here compel the world’s continued vigilance and concerted action.
