MESOPOTAMIA NEWS SPECIAL: Friday, October 5, 2018- Trump Administration Releases New Counterterrorism Strategy –

The White House on Thursday released a new U.S. counterterrorism strategy, outlining an “America First” approach that emphasizes strengthening border controls and combating violent ideology rather than undertaking major new military actions. The 34-page document is meant to govern how the U.S. military and security apparatus responds to threats including ISIS and al-Qaeda; violent groups backed by Iran; and domestically radicalized terrorists. National Security Adviser John Bolton, who unveiled the new strategy at a White House briefing, said the U.S. would counter terrorism “with an increased emphasis on non-kinetic means.” In particular, he said, that means confronting violent Islamist ideology and recruiting. “While we have succeeded in disrupting large-scale attacks in the homeland since 2001,” the report says, “we have not sufficiently mitigated the overall threat that terrorists pose.”

Much of Trump’s new strategy appears to be a continuation of President Obama’s approach, including a focus on disrupting terrorists’ financing streams and preventing them from gaining access to chemical, biological, nuclear or radiological weapons. However, the tone of Trump’s counterterrorism policy is markedly different. The document repeatedly uses the term “radical Islamist terrorism.” The Obama administration typically avoided using such labels, arguing that they alienated Muslims and fueled terrorists’ propaganda. “We’re recognizing that there’s a terrorist ideology that we’re confronting,” Bolton said. “Without recognizing that, we can’t properly address the terrorist threat.”

The strategy also calls for increased contributions from U.S. allies to the fight against terrorism and promises partnership and selective counterterrorism assistance to Washington’s allies. “America First does not mean America alone,” the report says. It also calls for employing cyber operations against terrorist foes. Last week, White House officials said Trump had authorized new, classified orders for the Pentagon to conduct offensive attacks against state and nonstate adversaries more freely and frequently. “Unless we counter terrorist radicalization and recruitment, we will be fighting a never-ending battle against terrorism in the homeland, overseas and online,” it reads. CNN, New York Times, Wall Street Journal
Related:
The Atlantic: Trump’s Counterterrorism Strategy Is a Relief – www.mesop.de