ABSTRACT
In her speech at the launch of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) in New York in September 2011, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was quick to praise international efforts to prevent and suppress terrorism. She noted the strength of bilateral partnerships among states and the impacts of regional organizations in building counterterrorism capacity and expertise. She underscored the importance of the “international policy and legal framework” developed through the United Nations, in particular the General Assembly’s “Global Counterterrorism Strategy” (2006) (hereafter, “the Strategy”). “But,” she continued, “as important as all of these elements are, all of us have been convinced that a crucial piece of the puzzle against terrorism is missing.” Designed to fill gaps in the contemporary architecture for counterterrorism cooperation, the new Forum would provide its 30 members and their partners with a “dedicated global venue to regularly convene key counterterrorism policy makers and practitioners from around the world. We need a place where we can identify essential priorities, devise solutions, and chart a path to implementation of best practices.”1
