Unity in the face of terror
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg | AFP PHOTO / SAMUEL KUBANI
Unity in the face of terror
NATO stands strong in the fight against terrorism, whether it is in Afghanistan, the Middle East or in our own countries.
When terrorists target innocent civilians, they strike humanity at its core — be it in America or in Tunisia, at a newspaper’s office in Paris, or in my own country of Norway, where a right-wing extremist murdered scores of innocent people in 2011.
On Sunday, I will pay my respects at the National September 11th Memorial & Museum in New York. The events of that tragic day not only changed America but profoundly altered the world.
We will always remember 9/11 for the losses we suffered. 3000 lives, fathers, mothers, sons and daughters, friends. Innocent civilians from 60 countries, from all corners of the planet. It was a tremendous loss that affected us all, regardless of our nationality, religion or politics.
But we also remember how 9/11 brought out the best in humanity. Heroes rushed into the flames and ash to save the lives of strangers. A global wave of support for the United States was unleashed and a new bridge across the Atlantic was forged — a bridge of solidarity and common purpose.
On September 12, 2001, the members of the NATO Alliance invoked Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty for the first time in the organization’s 62-year history. It was a historic declaration that 9/11 was not only an attack against America, but against all members of the NATO Alliance.
This was a deeply symbolic and unequivocal declaration of our common purpose, to collectively fight terrorism and defend our values against those who would seek to destroy them.
Then, as now, terrorists tried to intimidate and divide us. Now, as then, their callous acts only strengthen and unite us. The National September 11th Memorial & Museum commemorates the pain and loss of that day. But it also shows our determination and strength when we act together to face a common threat.
It is imperative that we continue to weaken, dismantle, and destroy terrorist organizations. We must do this by investing in the defense of our nations, by supporting our partners around the world, and by working to address the root causes of instability and conflict.
The best example of our determined effort is Afghanistan, where NATO and our partners formed the largest military coalition in history to ensure that Afghanistan would never again become a safe haven for international terrorists. We developed the Afghan security forces from scratch into a highly trained force of over 350,000 men and women. And we continue to work tirelessly to help Afghanistan to provide security for its people.
NATO also helps other nations to fight terrorism. In the Middle East and North Africa, we are helping Jordan, Iraq, and Tunisia to strengthen their armed forces so they can defend themselves and combat terror. NATO allies share intelligence to help prevent acts of terror and every NATO ally is taking part in the U.S.-led coalition against ISIL.
Together, we will continue to fight terrorism. And we will win. Not only because our weapons are more sophisticated or because our military tactics are better, but because we are armed with the strongest weapon of all — our commitment to our values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law.
Later this year, a piece of steel from one of the Twin Towers will find a new home at NATO’s new headquarters in Brussels. I am indebted to the museum and to the government of the United States for entrusting this important piece of American history to our care. We will cherish it as a daily reminder of our important work on behalf of our Alliance’s citizens.
We will forge on together because this is the best way to honor the memory of terrorism’s victims and to uphold the ideals that unite us.
Jens Stoltenberg is the secretary-general of NATO. He served as prime minister of Norway from 2000 to 2001, and again from 2005 to 2013.
Source http://www.politico.eu/article/unity-in-the-face-of-terror-terrorists-civilians-america-tunisia-nato/
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