Romania's Anti-Terrorism Capabilities: Transformation, Cooperation, Effectiveness

Abstract

Fighting terrorism effectively is not a new security responsibility for the security forces in Romania. Terrorism has been a menace to Romania’s national security before 1989, and for years during the Communist regime, Securitate’s anti-terrorist elite force’s acumen had averted terrorist attacks. Yet, Cold War terrorism is different from Twenty-First Century terrorism. What changed after the fall of the Iron Curtain, and chiefly after the atrocious terrorist attacks in the United States (US) on September 11, 2001 (9/11), was the lethality and virulence of terrorists’ intents and goals. Attacks in the US, Spain, Great Britain, and others urged Romania (as much as other countries) transform its overall security system to be able to fight terrorism and terrorist networks, as well as other asymmetric security threats and challenges, effectively and collaboratively. This paper reviews Romania’s security system post-Cold War transformation, in pursuit of effectively averting, countering and combating terrorism.