Policy Papers 3: Technicalities

•
Scenario of policy paper 3:
Subject Matter: International Cooperation
In a well-planned attack, suicide bombers detonate three bags of explosives on the Paris Metro, killing more than 90 people and injuring hundreds. The bombing comes just days after U.S. police manage to thwart a major terrorist attack in New York, arresting more than 15 suspected terrorists and seizing explosives and chemical materials in 10 different locations.
It is only weeks later, after investigators are able to establish the identities of the bombers and recreate a timeline of their movements, that investigators realize the group arrested in New York had ties to the bombers in Paris. Investigators reveal that both cells had been planning a coordinated, simultaneous attack on the targets. Information regarding the failure is leaked to the media, resulting in public outrage at the lack of prevention measures taken.
Under enormous public pressure, American and French officials cite failures in intelligence sharing and cooperation for the attack – both blaming the other for the apparently deadly oversights. Critics use the incident to disapprove of U.S. policies on counter-terrorism, noting that minimal improvements in international cooperation have been made since the intelligence failures that lead to 9/11.
You have been commissioned as a special task force of the UN counter-terrorism committee to report on the current status of international security and intelligence cooperation against the threat of international terrorism. Tasked with identifying the failures and gaps in the current system, you must develop a multi-faceted framework for addressing the phenomenon of international terrorism.
Guidelines

1. What is the state of current international cooperation against terrorism?
2. What are the challenges and conflicts nations may face in working together to counter terrorism?
3. How do states currently cooperate in countering terrorism? What elements are missing or in need of improvement on both the regional and international level?
4. What kind of an international framework is most effective in responding to terrorism?
5. What recommendations and guidelines would you provide nations in creating a comprehensive international response to terrorism?

.