The Foreign Service Journal, October 2005

cure-all, to be sure, but it enabled those countries targeted by the embargo (the U.S. being a primary one) to deal with the difficulties by working together. More than three decades later, the IEA remains active and relevant by focusing on broader energy issues, such as “climate change policies, market reform, energy tech- nology collaboration and outreach to the rest of the world,” according to the agency’s Web site. Born out of a crisis, the IEA now looks at a broader range of energy-related issues, taking what had earlier been one component of world trade and making it the cen- tral focus of a specialized agency. Similarly, although the U.S may be a primary target of most terrorist actions, it is clear that terrorist groups, whether they are formally linked to al- Qaida or its spin-offs or are free- lancers, have an agenda that goes far beyond the United States. Indeed, such attacks, in addition to those that have affected Israel for decades, are taking place on a global basis, from Egypt and Indonesia, to Spain and the United Kingdom. An international structure to deal with this phenome- non that goes beyond ad hoc bilateral or even multilateral alliances could provide for a sustained focus in the so- called “war on terror.” Without that focus, we risk jump- ing from crisis to crisis without a pro- longed and comprehensive approach to the problem. It remains to be seen what specific mandate, operating responsibilities, funding mechanisms and decision-making powers such an organization might have, but it is a subject that merits serious explo- ration. Admittedly, we don’t know yet if the world or the major victims of terrorism are ready for anything like an “International Counterterrorism Agency.” Or, perhaps, rather than cre- ating a new specialized agency, we could do a better job by strengthen- ing the anti-terrorism components of existing agencies, like the U.N.’s Counter-Terrorism Committee, the ICAO, the International Maritime Organization, the World Customs Organization or the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime. The last organiza- tion is particularly useful in identify- ing and taking steps to counter the links with drug trafficking and other criminal enterprises that appear to be involved in funding terrorism. And, of course, there is always the International Criminal Police Organi- zation, already known to most of us as O C T O B E R 2 0 0 5 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 19 S P E A K I N G O U T u 2000 N. 14th Street • Suite 500 Arlington, VA 22201 Telephone (703) 797-3259 Fax (703) 524-7559 Tollfree (800) 424-9500