Looking Back on a Year of War: 9/11 a Year On: October/December 2002 Issue: Peace Watch: U.S. Institute of Peace

Much has been accomplished, much needs to be done. This was the consensus of the panel discussion on "The War on Terrorism: A Year On" at the Institute's "9/11 a Year On" conference.

The Institute's Research and Studies Program director, Paul Stares, chaired the panel, which included Paul Pillar, National Intelligence Council, Brian Jenkins, RAND, and Paul Bremer, Marsh and McLennan Companies.

Stares set the agenda with four questions: Where are we? What have we accomplished? What are the challenges of the next phase? Are we "winning" or at least on the right trajectory?

Pillar emphasized, "The net effect on how well we do in this effort rests first of all on the depth of commitment of the American public and how that commitment gets expressed in Congress and elsewhere in our government." The United States must use all available tools in the coming phase, be aware of the contributions and activities of other countries in the effort, and sustain public interest and commitment.

Jenkins reminded listeners that al Qaeda remains a formidable threat in spite of the Taliban's ouster from Afghanistan through military means and a weakening of the communication and financial resources of the terror network. He defined terrorism as an "enterprise"—a system or process—rather than an organization that can be defeated. Disrupting operations and growth of al Qaeda's enterprise must remain the primary objective of the war on terror.

Both Jenkins and Bremer said that there are new elements to the most threatening of the terrorist groups. Jenkins noted a stated willingness to go beyond previously self-imposed limits against using weapons of mass destruction. Bremer agreed, adding that the im-portance of religious extremism—as in the case of al Qaeda— represents a shift in motives.

Bremer added that the real questions might be "Has anything really changed? Have we really learned a lesson?" He pointed to a need for improved domestic intelligence and for being prepared to take bold—even preemptive—steps.

In sum, terrorist groups have been put on notice, and on the most-wanted list. All agreed that the initial military phase had been a success. Both international and domestic mobilization against terrorism contributed to that success and remain important for the next phase. As a result, Afghanistan is a less hospitable place for terrorists and sees a brighter future.