Terrorism and Global Security

It has become commonplace to say that September 11, 2001, marked a watershed in international affairs, but the statement is nevertheless true. Previously, few people thought of terrorism as a serious threat to global security. After 9/11, terrorism suddenly became the centerpiece of U.S. national security strategy and a world priority. In 2004 the UN secretary-general’s High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges, and Change concluded that “terrorism attacks the values that lie at the heart of the Charter of the United Nations: respect for human rights; the rule of law; rules of war that protect civilians; tolerance among peoples and nations; and the peaceful resolution of conflict.”