The terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, were acts of war against the United States and its allies, and indeed against the idea of civilized society. No cause justifies terrorism. “The only way to win the war on terror,” says President George W. Bush, “is to stay on the offensive”:
“I laid out a doctrine that said, if you harbor a terrorist, if you feed a terrorist, if you hide a terrorist, you’re just as guilty as the terrorists. To provide money to terrorists, you’re guilty, and we will hold you account[able]. And the Taleban found out what we meant. We gave an ultimatum to Mr. Saddam Hussein. We said, get rid of your weapons. He ignored not only the United States, but also the civilized world. That regime is no more. And one thing is for certain: No terrorist organization will ever get a weapon of mass destruction from Mr. Saddam Hussein."
Success in the global war against terrorism requires a united front. Under United Nations Security Council Resolution thirteen-seventy-three, U-N members have committed themselves to deny financing, support, and safe harbor for terrorists.
As a result of global anti-terrorism efforts, more than one-hundred-sixty countries have issued orders freezing more than one-hundred-thirty-million dollars in terrorist-related financing. Nearly two-thirds of the senior al-Qaida leaders, operational managers, and key facilitators have been killed or taken into custody. More than three-thousand al-Qaida associates have been detained in over one-hundred countries.
Pakistan has arrested more than five-hundred suspected Taleban and al-Qaida operatives. Terrorist cells have been disrupted in Singapore, Italy, and elsewhere. Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Hong Kong have arrested dozens of terrorist leaders with al-Qaida ties. If the world remains determined and strong, as President Bush pointed out, “this will not be an age of terror. This will be an age of liberty.”