No consensus’ is derailing counter-terror diplomacy

• India’s recent decision to host special session of UNSC Counter-Terrorism Committee (UNSC-CTC) aims to give its counter-terror diplomacy a greater push.
• Now, it will host the third edition of the “No Money For Terror” (NMFT) conference that will look at tackling future modes of terror financing.

Challenges faced in ‘Global war on Terrorism (GWOT)’

Abrupt end to GWOT

• Conceived by a post-9/11 US
• Over with the US withdrawing from Afghanistan

Built on an unequal campaign

• India asked US for help to deal with the IC-814 hijacking (1999) 2 years prior to the 9/11 attacks but was not obliged.

Blocking designation of terrorists at UNSC

• China has repeatedly blocked the designation of terrorists at UNSC.

Fading FATF restriction of ‘Pak’

• Pakistan was cleared from the FATF ‘grey list’ recently.
• Indicates that global appetite to punish Pak for terrorism has petered out.

Weak international reaction to the Taliban problem

• Taliban’s takeover of Kabul, and its atrocities demonstrate rising fatigue levels in dealing with “another country’s problems”.
• The hard reality for India is that the future of counter-terrorism cooperation is going to be less cooperative, and counter-terror regimes such as the UNSC Resolutions 1267, 1373, etc. rendered outdated and toothless.

Ongoing

• Growing global polarisation over the Russia-Ukraine war is shifting the focus from terrorism & blurring the lines on what constitutes terrorism.

Global polarization

• UNSC is unable to pass any meaningful resolutions that are not vetoed by Russia or western members.
• China has blocked 5 terror designations requested by India and U.S.

No Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT)

• Proposed by India in 1996
• Little progress on the definition of terrorism, concerns over human rights law conflicts, and the old debate on ‘freedom fighter vs terrorist’.

Weaponisation of technology for terrorism purposes

• Use of drones to deliver funds, drugs, weapons, ammunition and improvised explosive devices.
• Use of AI and robotic soldiers to perpetrate mass attacks with anonymity.
• Use of bitcoins for terror
• Use of social media, dark web & online games for terror communications.

Potential use of biowarfare, and Gain-of-Function (GoF) research

• To mutate viruses and vectors which could be released into targeted populations.

What needs to be done

• Global consensus on regulating the use of emergent technologies by all responsible states is required.
• Countries need to agree upon what constitutes terrorism

Conclusion

• Terrorist acts would be more deadly, they would require fewer people, and their sponsors would have more anonymity.
• India, as the host of these counter-terrorism events, and the SCO and the next G-20, must stop fighting the "final war" on terrorism, and step up global efforts to prepare for the next war.

Prelims Takeaway

• Global Efforts to Combat Terrorism