While the threat of a terrorist attack against America and its interests abroad has decreased in recent years, the war on terror is far from over. Leaked U.S. intelligence indicates ISIS is using Afghanistan as its base of operations to plot attacks in Asia, Europe, and possibly even the United States. This comes as the Biden administration has reduced counterterrorism resources due to rising global competition and different priorities.
Straight Arrow News contributor Katherine Zimmerman says counterterrorism helps the U.S. compete with China and Russia, and she believes divesting from counterterrorism could prove to be a short-sighted, costly mistake.
The threat of a transnational attack against the United States, itself, or American interests abroad is significantly lower than in previous years. And policymakers have rightly understood that the United States faces much more significant challenges from China and Russia, to name a few. They’ve thus moved to invest in ways to make the United States more competitive on the global stage, particularly in the American military’s high-end capabilities, as warnings of potential war with China escalate.
But a complete shift away is unwise and making a mistake similar to the one made in the decade after the 9/11 attacks, when other strategic priorities slipped far below counterterrorism.
First, the security Americans feel today comes in part from the ongoing pressure on al-Qaeda and the Islamic State abroad. Across the globe, a fraction of the troops the United States has deployed in support of NATO or even stationed in Japan, support U.S. counterterrorism activities. They work primarily with U.S. partners, who are the ones doing most of the fighting on the ground. Some of those partners have made good progress, others less so. Some may say the local fights have nothing to do with the United States. While in many ways true, rarely have global jihadist elements not taken advantage of these conflicts. And U.S. partners often cannot hold their own ground without assistance from the United States in some form.
As the case in Somalia shows, the difference between keeping a small counterterrorism footprint and pulling out entirely is stark. President Biden reversed President Trump’s troop withdrawal, reinserting just 500 troops. Since that decision in May 2022, the U.S.-trained Somali special operations forces have taken back a third of al-Shabaab’s territory.
While supporting counterterrorism partners does not guarantee a victory against al-Qaeda or the Islamic State, it does keep them under pressure.
Second, U.S. counterterrorism assistance doesn’t just aid it in the fight against terrorists. It’s a key way the United States develops and deepens relationships with many of its partners in Africa and the Middle East who share an interest in countering these groups.
