Abstract

Coined during the French Revolution to describe “the reign of terror” between 1793-94, the term “terror” originated from the Latin word “terrere,” which reflects frighten or tremble and had positive connotations (Bolz et al., 2002). Today, terrorism has transformed into a more menacing specter by adopting new techniques and using advanced mass media communication and technology. Moreover, terrorism has become a political as well as a legal and military issue that the international community cannot afford to ignore. The United States, India and the entire world community have long been struggling with the continuing threat of terrorism. Both India and the United States have been victimized by international terrorism from groups like al-Qaida and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) for a long time. Therefore, the need of the hour is to enhance cooperation in counterterrorism, and progress towards intelligence sharing, information exchange, operational cooperation, counterterrorism technology and equipment. The aim of this paper is to analyze India-U.S. counterterrorism cooperation as it stands today and examine how both countries are uniquely suitable for enhanced counterterrorism cooperation. Given the mutual interests and common threat, the current international security environment directly affects both nations and there is a need to focus on long term prospects of cooperation for a better relationship. Additionally, the paper will also delve into the origins, evolution and current level of Indo-U.S. counterterrorism cooperation. As a tentative case study, this paper will also examine the terrorist attack of 9/11 as a turning point in the India-U.S. counterterrorism cooperation prospect.

Recommended Citation

Ahmad, Afroz Ph.D. and Najish, . Ph.D. (2018) "Before and After 9/11: Indo-U.S. Counterterrorism Cooperation," Journal of International and Global Studies: Vol. 9: No. 2, Article 8.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.62608/2158-0669.1406
Available at: https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/jigs/vol9/iss2/8