International Cooperation in Matters of Terrorism
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, on American territory marked a decisive turning point in the history of terrorism, but also in antiterrorist measures and practice.
As soon as the first counts of victims were known and the instigators identified, it became evident that the violence of the attacks was matched only by the reaction on all fronts of the international community, which began an unprecedented fight against terrorism.
These events also had a considerable impact on cooperation in criminal matters. The attacks on the WTC towers not only acted as a catalyst favoring the massive adoption of new tools to be used in the struggle against international terrorism, but they also provided a new refer-ence framework for interpreting the action of sovereign states in the fields of justice and home affairs.
It is undeniable that the governments of all sovereign states were put under pressure by the attacks of September 11, 2001, in particular to reassure public opinion. They had to make a gesture towards their citizens and demonstrate that the necessary measures to protect them against the terrorist threat were being taken at both national and international levels.
A Critical Essay by Claude Nicati1 and Juliette Noto