The Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism (CT) is a bureau of the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other na ...

. It coordinates all U.S. Government efforts to improve

counter-terrorism Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or ...

cooperation with foreign governments and participates in the development, coordination, and implementation of

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

counterterrorism policy. In June 2007, Ambassador-at-Large Dell Dailey was appointed to be the

Coordinator for Counterterrorism The Coordinator for Counterterrorism heads the Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism, which coordinates U.S. government efforts to fight terrorism. As the head of the counterterrorism bureau, the coordinator for counterterror ...

. Under Secretary

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

, the coordinator for counterterrorism from 2009 to 2012 was Ambassador-at-Large Daniel Benjamin. He was followed by Tina S. Kaidanow, from 2014 to 2016. The coordinator and special envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant between 2020 and 2021 was

Nathan Sales Nathan Alexander Sales is an American lawyer, academic, and government official who served as the coordinator for counterterrorism and special envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS within the U.S. Department of State from 2017 to 2021. Pri ...

. Originally the Office for Combating Terrorism and later the Bureau of Counterterrorism, the bureau's name was expanded in 2016 to include

countering violent extremism Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that Government, governments, law enforcement, business, and Intelligence agency, intellig ...

in its mandate.

Aims

The United States Counterterrorism Policy has four main aims: * to make no concessions to

terrorists Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

and strike no deals; * to bring terrorists to justice for their crimes; * to isolate and apply pressure on states that sponsor terrorism to force them to change their behavior; and * to bolster the counter-terrorism capabilities of those countries that work with the U.S. and require assistance. Regarding international terrorism, the U.S. Government will make no concessions to individuals or groups holding official or private U.S. citizens

hostage A hostage is a person seized by an abductor in order to compel another party, one which places a high value on the liberty, well-being and safety of the person seized, such as a relative, employer, law enforcement or government to act, or refr ...

. The United States will use every appropriate resource to gain the safe return of American citizens held hostage. At the same time, it is U.S. Government policy to deny hostage takers the benefits of

ransom Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or the sum of money involved in such a practice. When ransom means "payment", the word comes via Old French ''rançon'' from Latin ''re ...

, prisoner releases, policy changes, or other acts of concession.

History

An Office for Combatting Terrorism was created in the State Department in 1972 after the Munich Olympics terrorist attack. Its name and legal authorization has changed a few times, and it was renamed the Bureau of Counterterrorism in 2012. In reaction to the

State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other na ...

's 2004 proposal to omit terrorism figures from its Report to

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

Larry C. Johnson Larry C. Johnson is an American blogger and former analyst at the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. He is the co-owner and CEO of BERG Associates, LLC (Business Exposure Reduction Group). Background Johnson worked at the CIA for four years as an ...

stated that the State department was put in charge of coordinating counter-terrorism functions across government agencies by a presidential directive in 1986. Johnson wrote: The Department of State reorganized again in January 2012, elevating the former Office for the Coordinator for Counterterrorism to a bureau after the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review In early 2016, the Obama administration announced an overhaul in the bureau's programs in response to the growing threat of the

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic ter ...

. Among the changes planned is the reorganization of the bureau into the Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism.

References

External links

Bureau of Counterterrorism
{{authority control CT Counterterrorism in the United States 1976 establishments in the United States Government agencies established in 1976

Aims

History

See also

References

External links