The possibilities of combating the terrorism Terrorism is a threat to all states and to all peoples, which can strike anytime, anywhere.

It is a direct attack on the core values the United Nations stands for: the rule of law; the protection of civilians; mutual respect between people of different faiths and cultures; and peaceful resolution of conflict.

So of course the United Nations must be at the forefront in fighting against it, and first of all in proclaiming, loud and clear, that terrorism can never be accepted or justified, in any cause whatsoever.

By the same token, the United Nations must continue to insist that, in the fight against terrorism, we cannot compromise on the core values I have listed. In particular, human rights and the rule of law must always be respected. As I see it, terrorism is in itself a direct attack on human rights and the rule of law. If we sacrifice them in our response, we are handing a victory to the terrorists.

There is a principled, comprehensive strategy which includes

• first, to dissuade disaffected groups from choosing terrorism as a tactic to achieve their goals;

• second, to deny terrorists the means to carry out their attacks;

• third, to deter states from supporting terrorists;

• fourth, to develop state capacity to prevent terrorism;

• and fifth, to defend human rights in the struggle against terrorism.

The United Nations has already, for many years, been playing a crucial role in all these areas, and has achieved important successes. But there is a need to do more, and we must do better.

This simple paradigm of "us vs. them" or "good vs. evil" does not work well in today's terrorist environment.

Nuclear proliferation is no longer a nightmare, it is a reality. The primary fear during the cold war was a nuclear attack. Today it is a WMD attack, nuclear weapons are one class of WMD's, same result different name.

Unfortunately, today's enemy is not easily swayed by the traditional military strategy of deterrence. A new security and defense paradigm to protect the homeland from the terrorists needs to be developed and efficiently executed. This strategy will be based upon military experiences battling asymmetrical threats of the past, but in many cases will have to be "adjusted on the fly" to address the situation at hand. Regardless, the strategy needs to be based on more than fear of MAD, it needs to include the fact that:

"Neither active, passive, nor retributive actions by themselves are effective in deterring asymmetrical threats; it is only when these three actions are integrated together into a single campaign plan where one can hope to deter asymmetrical threats and regain the deterrence equilibrium." (Reynolds, 2004)

• The enemy is not easily discernable.

• The enemy lives among the population, the ultimate Trojan horse.

• The enemy is clever.

• The enemy is organized.

• The enemy is well financed.

• The enemy is patient.

• The enemy is prepared to wait years and perhaps even decades to attack at an opportune moment or vulnerability.

This time in history is very different than any in the past. The amorphous terrorist cells are willing and potentially capable of delivering a WMD attack on the U.S. homeland. "Speaking softly and carrying a big stick" (President Theodore Roosevelt) can no longer be the homeland defense and security strategy. A radically different and far more complicated policy needs to be developed and employed. This time is truly different.

Whenever there is a religious, social oppression, the tribes come closer, grow stronger in their beliefs. This is what happening around the world. With more than 300 billion dollars spent on war and more than 3000 soldiers lost their lives, not to mention loss of innocent civilian lives in Iraq, the insurgents number keep growing. No matter how much homeland security we implement, terrorists will always find ways to kill innocent people to make a point about their belief system. Historically, incognizance is the root cause to all the evils in the world including terrorism. War on terrorism is like a band-aid to a crack in a water dam. xxxxxxVarious major religions are alternative paths to the same God. Basic belief is -There is a God, which is a near universal phenomenon. Faith plays a major role in the function and justification of religious beliefs. Blind faith dominates in religion and this undermines the logic, rational and free thinking. However, you can not be blinded by faith in religion. In the name of religion, we shield ourselves. We are creating walls, boundaries not only around nations, land, sea, and sky; but around each other. And that is what separating God from us. Every religion guarantees good life on earth and a safe trip to heaven after death. Terrorism is going on despite Saddam Hussein is kept in jail and will continue even after Osama Bin Laden is killed. Terrorists will multiply everywhere like weeds on a lawn. So what is the solution? One has to learn to achieve peace with his or her own mind which can be accomplished with self-knowledge. I can challenge you that we can combat terrorism if only that all the preachers, priests, popes, imams, clerics, spiritual gurus teach tolerance and respect to fellow religions and promote commonality of all religions. Instead, they are only pouring oil on a fire with hatred, biased, inflammatory, and narrow-minded preaches. I want to remind you that it is important to remember that you only can change what you think and gain some conscious control over your emotional life. It is in your power to change your mind for the better through logic and common sense. If you do not change your inner consciousness, you can never win the war on terrorism. Spread the tolerance and respect to fellow human beings- religion and faith. It is the only synthetic approach to this burning global problem.

All too often we are reminded that terrorism continues to inflict pain and suffering on people’s lives all over the world. Almost no week goes by without an act of terrorism taking place somewhere in the world, indiscriminately affecting innocent people who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Countering this scourge is in the interest of all nations and the issue has been on the agenda of the United Nations for decades.

Sixteen universal instruments (thirteen instruments and three amendments) against international terrorism have been elaborated within the framework of the United Nations system relating to specific terrorist activities. Member States through the General Assembly have been increasingly coordinating their counter-terrorism efforts and continuing their legal norm-setting work. The Security Council has also been active in countering terrorism through resolutions and by establishing several subsidiary bodies. At the same time a number of programmes, offices and agencies of the United Nations system have been engaged in specific activities against terrorism, further assisting Member States in their counter-terrorism efforts.

To consolidate and enhance these activities, Member States in September 2006 embarked upon a new phase in their counter-terrorism efforts by agreeing on a global strategy to counter terrorism. The Strategy marks the first time that all Member States of the United Nations have agreed to a common strategic and operational framework to fight terrorism. The Strategy forms a basis for a concrete plan of action: to address the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism; to prevent and combat terrorism; to take measures to build state capacity to fight terrorism; to strengthen the role of the United Nations in combating terrorism; and to ensure the respect of human rights while countering terrorism. The Strategy builds on the unique consensus achieved by world leaders at their 2005 September Summit to condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

The UN undertook several steps towards combating terrorism:

The General Assembly held its first review of the implementation of the Strategy on 4-5 September 2008 and adopted a resolution reaffirming its commitment to the Strategy and its implementation. As one of the inputs to this process, the Secretary-General has compiled a report on activities of the UN system in implementing the Strategy.

On 9 September 2008, the Secretary General convened the first ever global Symposium on Supporting Victims of Terrorism. A report summarizing the key themes and recommendations of the Symposium and a video summary have been produced and were released at a discussion with Victims, Member States, and NGOs on 18 March 2009.

In June 2009, the Secretary-General made initial arrangements to institutionalize the Task Force by establishing a CTITF-Secretariat in the Department of Political Affairs (DPA). CTITF aims to catalyze and mobilize counter-terrorism efforts of various UN system entities to assist Member States in implementing the Strategy.