Skip to main content

Another Reluctant Belligerent: The United Nations and the War on Terrorism

  • Chapter
The United Nations and Global Security

Abstract

Terrorism is only marginally more welcome on the agenda of the United Nations than it is in our cities and neighborhoods. Diplomats and international civil servants, much like the rest of us, understand that they must address terrorism. But they, too, wish it would go away or that someone else would take care of it. No one really knows what motivates others to undertake vicious and seemingly random attacks on innocent civilians, nor have any particularly novel or effective means of deterring or preventing such acts appeared. Though the world body took steps to ratchet up both its normative and operational opposition to terrorism in the 1990s and again after the attacks on the United States of 9/11, it remains much more of a bit player on the former than the latter. This paper asks why this is so, and whether there are grounds to expect the UN to evolve into a more enthusiastic, well-rounded, and central participant in counterterrorism efforts in the future.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Notes

  1. Secretary-General Kofi A. Annan, “We the Peoples”: The Role of the United Nations in the 21st Century DPI/2106 (New York: United Nations, March 2000): 40, 43, 44, and 46.

    Google Scholar 

  2. United Nations, Report of the Policy Working Group on the United Nations and Terrorism, A/57/273, S/2002/875, (August 6, 2002): Annex, 4 (para 11).

    Google Scholar 

  3. League of Nations, Committee for the International Repression of Terrorism, Report to the Council Adopted by the Committee on January 15th, 1936 A.7.1936.V (Geneva, February 10, 1936 ): 3.

    Google Scholar 

  4. League of Nations, Proceedings of the International Conference on the Repression of Terrorism, C.94.M.47.1938.V (Geneva, November 1–16, 1937): 50.

    Google Scholar 

  5. League of Nations International Repression of Terrorism, Draft Conventions, Observations by Governments, Series III A.24(b).1936.V (Geneva, February 21, 1938): 2.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Sydney D. Bailey, “The UN Security Council and Terrorism,” International Relations, 9 (6) (December 1993): 536

    Google Scholar 

  7. U Thant, View from the UN (Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1978), 302–308, 317–318.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Bruce Hoffinan, “Terrorism Trends and Prospects,” in Countering the New Terrorism, eds. Ian O. Lesser, et al. ( Santa Monica, CA: The Rand Corporation, 1999 )

    Google Scholar 

  9. Walter Enders and Todd Sandler, “Transnational Terrorism in the Post-Cold War Era,” International Studies Quarterly, 43 (1999).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Edward C. Luck, “Old Realities, New Opportunities,” Mixed Messages: American Politics and International Organization, 1919–1999 ( Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 1999 ), 280–306

    Google Scholar 

  11. Edward C. Luck, “Making the World Safe for Hypocrisy,” The New York Times, 22 March 2003, All.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Robert Kagan, “Power and Weakness,” Policy Review (June and July 2002): 3–28.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Julia Preston, “In a First, UN Notes Israeli Dead in Terror Attack in Mombasa,” New York Times, (December 14, 2002), A5

    Google Scholar 

  14. Edith M. Lederer, “UN Condemns Mombasa Terrorist Attacks,” Toronto Star, (December 14, 2002 ), A27

    Google Scholar 

  15. Louis Meixler, “UN Condemns Blasts in Argentina, London, But Doesn’t Mention Targets,” Associated Press, (July 29, 1994 ).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors

Editor information

Richard M. Price Mark W. Zacher

Copyright information

© 2004 Richard M. Price and Mark W. Zacher, eds.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Luck, E.C. (2004). Another Reluctant Belligerent: The United Nations and the War on Terrorism. In: Price, R.M., Zacher, M.W. (eds) The United Nations and Global Security. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781403980908_6

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics