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Chapter II
OSCE reactions to the security threats of the XXI century

§1. Combating terrorism

Al-Qaeda attacks of September 11, 2001, on the World Trade Center in New York and on Pentagon in Washington, caused shock and condemnation among the population of the whole world. Overnight, terrorists dominated international thinking. Many international bodies had included fight against terrorism in their action programs, but now this issue became a major priority . The United Nations Organization, the European Council, NATO, the European Union, OSCE – all these international bodies declared their determination to fight against terrorism and initiated counteraction measures.

UN have begun to pay special attention to the fight against terrorism since 1960. UN adopted a series of declarations and conventions concerning the issue. The Security Council dealt with terrorism in a more specific way, including Osama bin Laden and Talibans from Afghanistan, etc. After September 11, UN developed a general framework for combating terrorism. The Security Council authorized the use of force in pursuing the responsible for attacks; a Commission for Combating Terrorism (CCT) was established, its goals being to monitor the implementation of the measures imposed by the Security Council .

Terrorism was not a new subject for the Council of Europe either. In January 1977, the EC adopted the European Convention on Terrorism Abolishment that focused on legal and legislative measures. After September 11, the EC appealed to the member states to ratify the Convention regarding terrorism and other relevant documents. A multi-disciplinary group of international action against terrorism was established to review the EC tools used for combating terrorism, including the European Convention.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is rather a beginner in combating terrorism . Before the terrorist attacks, NATO paid some attention to the challenges of international terrorism,...