The Department of State

This chapter is one of three which examines a key U.S. department or agency which played a fundamental role in an 'all-of-government' approach to countering terrorism. The US Department of State is the designated lead agency on all foreign policy matters. This chapter looks at democracy promotion in the GWOT and the rights and empowerment of women to challenge extremism. It highlights increasing efforts in State to consider and integrate women into its counterterrorism strategy, and broader initiatives such as the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, and the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security. It highlights the growth CVE initiatives, as well as how State had to increasingly respond to sexual and gender-based violence committed by terrorist groups. Finally it considers how key discourses emphasized in State around women's rights and victimhood were also being utilized by terrorist groups.

Analyzing women in counterterrorism

Chapter 1 discusses the book within the wider scholarly literature, situating it within three intersecting bodies of literature. Firstly, the literature on women, peace and security (especially that on UN Security Council Resolution 1325) has advanced the considerations and status of women generally in terms of global peace and security. Second, feminist security studies considers women more specifically in relation to the construction and practices of security. Third, terrorism studies which has increasingly considered women's roles and agency in terrorist groups, yet has not yet adequately considered if or how women's roles have impacted on counterterrorism practices. These three fields try to locate women in relation to security, considering agency, power relations and structures, and interrogate gender binaries in the field. Second, they try to bring to light women who perpetrate or support violence in militant and terrorist groups and their agency (which has direct implications for counterterrorism practices).

The Department of Defense

This chapter is one of three which examines a key U.S. department or agency which played a fundamental role in an 'all-of-government' approach to countering terrorism. The Department of Defense engages most visibly in direct action and is the US agency most often associated with counterterrorism-specific and broader security efforts abroad. This chapter considers women first as U.S. security actors in Iraq in units such as Team Lioness, and discusses controversy around women. Women in relation to counterinsurgency stabilization efforts counterterrorism and the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security are discussed, as are specific initiatives such as Human Terrain Systems Provincial Reconstruction Teams Female Engagement Teams and Cultural Support Teams. Second, it examines female security personnel the U.S. trained, equipped and otherwise supported in Yemen, Iraq and Afghanistan. Finally, it considers women's militant roles in al-Qaeda and ISIS to consider if or how these impacted on defense efforts.

Counterterrorism from Bush to Obama

Terrorist actors, the nature of the threat they pose, and responses to them have evolved significantly since 9/11. This chapter provides an overview of how terrorism evolved under the Bush and Obama administrations, how they articulated their strategies to counter terrorism, and how women became visible within these. It first discusses terrorism in the U.S. prior to 9/11, demonstrating that many of the discourses related to women and security that became visible in the subsequent years were not new, but reflected trends already underway, though increasingly framed in relation to counterterrorism. It second analyzes the Bush administration (Republican, 2001--09) and its strategic approach to counterterrorism over his tenure, before thirdly analyzing the Obama administration (Democrat, 2009--17). It highlights the comprehensive, 'all-of-government' approach to counterterrorism articulated by both administrations. The chapter concludes with a summary of key discourses pertaining to women in the Bush and Obama administrations.

Enter Trump

In this final chapter, the counterterrorism approach taken thus far by the Trump administration will first be examined through an analysis of the key strategies and statements articulated by him, his administration, and how this has unfolded thus far in practice on the ground. The second section will provide an update on the situations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Yemen since the beginning of 2017, outlining key areas of concern going forward and drawing off insights gleaned from the Bush and Obama administrations to assess the significance of these for women today. This chapter will inherently consider what these changes mean for how women are assessed as agents, partners and targets of full-spectrum counterterrorism going forward. As will be demonstrated, there are a number of growing concerns related to how women are considered and engaged in this space, yet their active participation and consideration are now perhaps more vital than ever.

The US Agency for International Development

This chapter is one of three which examines a key U.S. department or agency which played a fundamental role in an 'all-of-government' approach to countering terrorism. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) is the lead government agency in efforts to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies. USAID evolved substantially in relation to post-9/11 coordination and efforts abroad, in part due to their increasing alignment with US foreign policy and security objectives. The agency became increasingly active and elevated in contributions to broader indirect counterterrorism strategies over the years, particularly in addressing underlying conditions or drivers of terrorism and CVE which are both discussed at length. The chapter discusses USAID in Afghanistan, Iraq and Yemen, and also considers USAID in relation to countering the drivers of violent extremism and insurgency, and the post-Arab Spring period. It finally considers Al-Qaeda and ISIS alternative interpretations of development and governance

Introduction

The introduction starts at 9/11 and provides a background of the consequences and implications of September 11 and the events that followed in the U.S. Global War on Terror (GWOT), highlighting a key gap in current analysis -- women as agents, partners and targets of counterterrorism. It discusses the importance of examining women through the cases of Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen and Syria referenced throughout the book. It introduces the original framework developed in this book that allows readers to unpick how, where and why women became visible in the discourses and practices of counterterrorism. These include: the categories of 'women' in US counterterrorism discourses the 'factors' that impacted how women evolved in US counterterrorism practices and the justifications stated when including women. The story of women in counterterrorism is demonstrated to bring to light broader tensions in the GWOT. Finally, a summary of each chapter of the book is provided.