At-a-Glance: Terrorism

November 2004

U.S. POLICY PRINCIPLES

"The war on terror is a different kind of war, waged capture by capture, cell by cell, and victory by victory. Our security is assured by our perseverance and by our sure belief in the success of liberty. And the United States of America will not relent until this war is won."
-- President George W. Bush, December 14, 2003

The United States government has developed four enduring policy principles that guide its counterterrorism strategy:

• First, make no concessions to terrorists and strike no deals.

• Second, bring terrorists to justice for their crimes.

• Third, isolate and apply pressure on states that sponsor terrorism to force them to change their behavior.

• Fourth, bolster the counterterrorist capabilities of those countries that work with the United States and require assistance.

--Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism

TERRORISM

Terrorism is premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience. Terrorism, as a special form of political violence, is not a philosophy or a political movement, but it uses extreme fear and violence, which breach social norms, to strike at symbolic targets with the ultimate aim of influencing political behavior.
-- Patterns of Global Terrorism

INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM: AMERICAN HOSTAGES

The U.S. government will make no concessions to individuals or groups holding official or private U.S. citizens hostage. The United States will use every appropriate resource to gain the safe return of American citizens who are held hostage. At the same time, it is U.S. government policy to deny hostage takers the benefits of ransom, prisoner releases, policy changes, or other acts of concession.
-- Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism

NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR COMBATING TERRORISM

• Defeat terrorist organizations of global reach by attacking their sanctuaries; leadership; command, control, and communications; material support; and finances.

• Deny further sponsorship, support, and sanctuary for terrorists.

• Diminish the underlying conditions that terrorists seek to exploit.

• Defend the United States, our citizens, and our interests at home and abroad.

• Use all the tools at our disposal: diplomatic, law enforcement, intelligence, financial, and military.

-- The National Strategy for Combating Terrorism

GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM

"We have made significant progress in the two and one-half years since the global war on terrorism began. But the ultimate success of this global counterterrorism campaign will hinge, in large part, on two factors: sustained international political will and effective capacity building. First, we must sustain and enhance the political will of states to fight terrorism. The key to maintaining a coalition is underscoring to its members every day that the fight is not over and that sustained effort is clearly in their long-term interests. Second, we need to enhance the capacity of all states to fight terrorism. The United States cannot by itself investigate every lead, arrest every suspect, gather and analyze all the intelligence, effectively sanction every sponsor of terrorism, prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, or find and fight every terrorist cell."
-- Ambassador J. Cofer Black, U.S. Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Patterns of Global Terrorism 2003, April 29, 2004

• Worldwide in 2003 there were 208 terrorist attacks and 625 people killed and 3,646 wounded. The increase in those wounded reflects the numerous indiscriminate attacks during 2003 on "soft targets," such as places of worship, hotels, and commercial districts, intended to produce mass casualties.

• Thirty-five U.S. citizens died in international terrorist attacks in 2003.

• In 2003 by region, there were 67 terrorist attacks in the Middle East and 331 people were killed, while there were 80 attacks in Asia and 222 deaths, 33 attacks in Western Europe with 61 deaths, six attacks in Africa with eight deaths, 20 attacks in Latin America and three deaths, and two attacks in Eurasia.

• Since 9/11, 173 countries have issued orders to freeze the assets of terrorists. As a result, terror networks have lost access to nearly $200 million.

• Approximately 1,500 terrorist-related accounts have been blocked around the world, including 151 accounts in the United States.

• Of the 208 terrorist attacks in 2003 worldwide, 119 of the attacks were by bombing, 49 were armed attacks, 14 were kidnappings, 11 suicide bombings, four fire bombings, three arson attacks, three assaults, one chemical attack, one terrorist skyjacking, and three other non-specific types of attacks.

• The Secretary of State has designated 39 Foreign Terrorist Organizations, and another 39 as terrorist groups of interest.

• The United States has designated six nations as State Sponsors of Terrorism, including -- Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria.

• More than 3,400 al-Qaida suspects have been arrested or detained in more than 100 countries.

• Seventy-five percent of al-Qaida's top leadership has been killed or captured, most significantly 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Muhammad and key plotters Ramzi bin al-Shibh and Abu Zubaydah, as well as USS Cole plotter Khallad Ba'Attash.

• Implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1373 requires all nations to prevent and suppress the financing of terrorist acts and to deny safe haven to terrorists.

• More than 80 countries have introduced new legislation to fight terrorist financing, and 94 countries have established financial intelligence units to share information.

For More Information on the U.S. Response to Terrorism, click here