Javed Ali

Javed Ali is an associate professor of practice at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. Ali brings more than 20 years of professional experience in national security and intelligence issues in Washington, DC. He held positions in the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Department of Homeland Security before joining the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

OPINION – In the afterglow of the somber commemorations and ceremonies marking the twenty-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks around the country and the recent decisions to end the US military mission in Afghanistan, questions remain about the overarching framework and guiding principles the United States will follow with respect to counterterrorism.

As a former counterterrorism analyst and professional who supported or worked in every administration from Clinton to Trump, I saw firsthand that each president and their team had different visions for what the counterterrorism focus of the country should be at the time, driven by the state of threats, national priorities, domestic politics, and US government resources and capabilities available to respond to or prevent attacks.

The decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban’s takeover of the country after a twenty-year absence from power, and the tragic events on the ground there—including the horrific attack at Kabul Airport which killed 13 US troops and almost 150 Afghans—underscores the perils of leaving that country.  This is in part due to the  presence of several terrorist groups, including ISIS-Khorasan, remnants of al-Qa’ida, and others less well-known to the American public but dangerous and capable in that local environment.

As the US and the West turn the page on Afghanistan as a key battleground on international terrorism, it’s important to remember that there are other countries where the US will have to make hard decisions about how to confront terrorist threats.  A clearer picture of what this will look like during the Biden presidency could emerge in the coming months.