Leveraging G20 Multilateralism to Counter Terrorism

In an increasingly fragmented global order, multilateral institutions created in the post-Second World War era are being questioned on their capacities, vision, and intent to deliver on 21st -century requirements. This is particularly true for issues related to global security and threats, such as the global response to terrorism. In a push to build more on narratives challenging the multilateral order, pan-global security issues such as counterterrorism will also need new forums to act as incubators of ideas to tackle future threats. This is especially important given that multilateral institutions will have to address and manage their limitations, as the geoeconomic and geopolitical aspects of countering terror increasingly intertwine. With the Taliban returning to power in Afghanistan and China’s blocking of the blacklisting of entities such as Lashkar- e-Taiba at the United Nations, non- state militant actors are increasingly in positions to take advantage of political discrepancies. In addition, an increasing lack of ‘global commons’ thinking on traditional security and what the existing global order represents is also used by these actors to further their aims of dominance and expansion. This brief looks at global counterterror narratives and policies from the perspective of the G20, and explores if the grouping has the space and intent to become a platform to discuss hard security issues despite its largely economic mandate. Specifically, the brief demonstrates that apart from expanding its focus on countering the financing of terrorism, the G20 can also increase engagement on studying and countering the nexus between climate change and terrorism, particularly how climate change can accelerate the factors identified as underlying drivers of terrorism, as well as on preventing radicalisation online.