The Department of State has released its 2021 Country Reports on Terrorism, an annual briefing prepared for Congress. The report provides a list of members of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), followed by briefings of terrorist activities in Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, Europe, The Middle East and North Africa, South and Central Asia, and the Western Hemisphere. It then discusses State Sponsors of Terrorism, the global challenge of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear terrorism, terrorist safe havens, and discloses details on Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). Additionally, a foreword by Timothy A. Betts, Acting Coordinator for Counterterrorism, provides an overview of continued terrorist threats and U.S. strides in counterterrorism efforts made during 2021.
Some key take-aways from the 2021 report that involve the United States are:
- The United States released its first-ever National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism.
- The Defeat-ISIS Coalition welcomed Burkina Faso as its 84th member.
- The United States led the negotiation of UNSCR 2617 (2021), which was unanimously adopted in December and renewed the UN Counterterrorism Committee Executive Directorate mandate for another four years.
- The United States also signed two new and expanded arrangements under Homeland Security Presidential Directive 6 to share information on known and suspected terrorists, bringing the total number of partner countries to over 75.
- The Personal Identification Secure Comparison and Evaluation System (PISCES) border security platform grew to include 227 ports of entry in 23 countries.
Each country profile in the report outlines recent terrorist activity and describes any known terrorist incidents that took place in 2021. Also discussed are the legislation, law enforcement, and border security measures each country has implemented, the United States’ involvement (if any), as well as information pertaining to countering violent extremism and the financing of terrorism. Individual country reports can also be found here on the Department of State website.
For more information on topics related to this piece, visit the HSDL Featured Topics on Domestic (U.S.) Terrorism, Global Terrorism, Lone Wolf Terrorism, and Suicide Bombers.
