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ABSTRACT
Some United State scholars have been quite critical of the UnitedState’s global counter-terrorism system, favoring a more centralized system, guidedbyanew “Global Counter-Terrorism Organization”. As we noted in the introduction, thisarticle did not evaluate this system’s effectiveness. The aim of our investigationistoexplain the counterterrorism system’s origins.1 We argue that three factors determinedthis system’s decentralized and state-centered character. The first factor was the UnitedState’s historical failure to deal with terrorism. Even though many United State alliesmembers today see terrorism as threat to international peace and security, this was not always the case. In the days after 11 September 2001, the architects of the newsystemwanted the United State to play a supportive role, rather than the leading one.2 Thesecond factor is the growing influence of trans-governmental networks. These structures, though informal in character, have been able to address many global challenges. TheSecurity Council’s approach to counter-terrorism is in line with research that suggeststhat networks provide an effective way to deal with transnational threats. As states buildtheir counter-terrorism capacities, their civil servants will be able to work together tocounteract the threats posed by terrorist groups.
