Introduction

Terrorism remains a persistent and evolving threat for many countries, especially those in the Global South. While international frameworks like the United Nations and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) exist, they have often struggled to address the specific, frequent, and complex challenges faced by developing nations. In this context, the proposal for a new alliance—T20, or Twenty Against Terrorism—has emerged, with India positioned as its leader. T20 aims to create a dedicated, agile, and inclusive platform for the Global South to confront terrorism in all its forms, supplementing existing institutions with a more proactive, regionally relevant approach.

Background and Rationale

The idea for T20 was catalyzed by recent high-profile terror incidents, such as the attack in Pahalgam and India’s subsequent military response, Operation Sindoor. These events highlighted the chronic, ongoing nature of terrorism in the Global South and the inadequacies of the current global response. While some Western nations offered support, many international organizations defaulted to calls for restraint and dialogue, often failing to assign responsibility or take decisive action. This recurring pattern exposed a gap in the international counter-terrorism architecture—a gap T20 seeks to fill.

Many existing counter-terrorism institutions are dominated by major powers and shaped by Western security paradigms. These frameworks tend to treat terrorism as episodic and often respond reactively, rather than addressing it as the continuous, multi-generational challenge it represents in regions like South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. The T20 initiative is designed to address this mismatch, offering a platform rooted in the lived realities of the Global South.

Structure and Membership

T20 is envisioned as an alliance of 20 countries from the Global South, all of which face frequent, asymmetrical, and politically complex terror threats. Potential members include India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, Mali, Fiji, the Philippines, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and others. These countries are united by their direct and ongoing experiences with both state-sponsored and ideologically driven terrorism.

Unlike existing groupings that are often Western-centric or dominated by major powers, T20 is designed to be inclusive, giving a voice to nations that are usually sidelined in global security debates. The alliance would be headquartered in India, with New Delhi serving as the secretariat and center for training, information sharing, and coordination.

Objectives and Core Functions

The T20’s mandate is clear and practical: to provide a permanent, proactive institutional architecture for counter-terrorism that is tailored to the needs of the Global South. Its core functions include:

• Intelligence Sharing: Establishing a joint task force for real-time intelligence exchange, enabling swift responses to emerging threats.
• Capacity Building: Running collaborative training programs, sharing best practices, and supporting the development of robust counter-terrorism institutions in member states.
• Counter-Radicalization: Implementing community-based programs to prevent radicalization, with a focus on development-linked de-radicalization strategies.
• Joint Diplomacy: Coordinating diplomatic initiatives to publicly identify and diplomatically isolate state sponsors of terrorism, moving beyond the cautious neutrality often seen in global forums.
• Emerging Threats: Addressing new forms of terrorism such as cyber-terrorism, drone warfare, and the use of cryptocurrencies to finance extremism.
• Resilience Building: Fostering societal and community resilience through education, digital tools, and support for victims of terrorism.

T20 would not seek to duplicate the work of existing institutions like the UN or FATF, but rather to supplement them by providing agility, real-time coordination, and a Global South-first perspective.

Distinguishing Features

T20 stands out from existing counter-terrorism frameworks in several key ways:

• Membership Composition: Exclusively comprises countries from the Global South that are directly affected by terrorism, as opposed to Western-dominated platforms.
• Operational Focus: Emphasizes proactive, swift, and operationally relevant actions, rather than bureaucratic or politically diluted responses.
• Decision-Making: Decisions are made through consensus among countries with shared experiences, leading to unified and effective action.
• Mandate Clarity: Maintains a focused mandate centered on intelligence sharing, capacity building, and resilience, avoiding the broad and diffuse mandates of other institutions.
• Diplomatic Approach: Willing to name and shame state sponsors of terrorism, rather than defaulting to neutrality or diplomatic caution.
• Inclusivity: Prioritizes the inclusion of countries often marginalized in global security debates, recognizing their experiences and contributions.
• Speed of Response: Streamlined mechanisms allow for quicker, more coordinated responses to terror threats.

Strategic and Moral Imperatives

The T20 initiative is driven by both strategic and moral imperatives. Strategically, it enhances India’s leadership stature in the Global South without the complications of military entanglement or interventionism. It positions India as a responsible, proactive power, capable of shaping the global counter-terrorism narrative and providing collective legitimacy to the actions of member states.

Morally, T20 represents a radical departure from hierarchical global institutions by valuing the voices and experiences of countries that have suffered from terrorism but are rarely at the center of global security discussions. It provides a platform where their intelligence inputs are valued, their pain recognized, and their needs prioritized.

Operational Mechanisms

T20’s operational mechanisms would include:

• Permanent Secretariat: Based in India, coordinating activities, convening regular meetings, and serving as a hub for training and information exchange.
• Joint Task Forces: Specialized units for intelligence sharing, cyber-security, and rapid response to terror incidents.
• Annual Summits: Bringing together heads of state, security officials, and experts to assess progress, set priorities, and coordinate strategies.
• Research and Analysis Wing: Dedicated to studying emerging trends in terrorism, developing counter-strategies, and disseminating best practices.
• Digital Collaboration: Leveraging digital platforms for secure communication, data sharing, and real-time coordination among member states.

Addressing Emerging Threats

Terrorism is constantly evolving, with new technologies and tactics posing fresh challenges. T20 is designed to be agile and forward-looking, focusing on:

• Cyber-Terrorism: Developing joint strategies to counter online radicalization, hacking, and the use of digital platforms by terrorist groups.
• Drone Warfare: Sharing expertise and technology to detect and neutralize drone-based attacks.
• Crypto-Financing: Collaborating to track and disrupt the use of cryptocurrencies and other digital tools for financing terrorism.
• Community Resilience: Promoting education, dialogue, and economic development as tools to prevent radicalization and strengthen societal resistance to extremist ideologies.

Benefits for Member States

T20 offers several tangible benefits for its members:

• Enhanced Security: Improved intelligence sharing and coordinated responses reduce the risk and impact of terror attacks.
• Capacity Development: Access to training, resources, and best practices strengthens national counter-terrorism capabilities.
• Diplomatic Leverage: Collective action provides greater legitimacy and influence in global security debates.
• Economic Stability: By addressing terrorism more effectively, T20 helps create a more stable environment for economic growth and development.
• Global Voice: Member states gain a platform to articulate their concerns and shape the international counter-terrorism agenda.

Challenges and Limitations

While T20 is a promising initiative, it faces several challenges:

• Political Differences: Member states may have divergent interests or political alignments, potentially complicating consensus and cooperation.
• Resource Constraints: Many Global South countries have limited resources, which could affect their ability to participate fully.
• External Pressures: Major powers or existing institutions may view T20 as competition, leading to diplomatic friction.
• Implementation: Translating vision into effective action will require sustained commitment, robust mechanisms, and ongoing evaluation.
  

  How T20 is Different from Existing Groupings

  Feature	Existing Platforms (UN, FATF, GCTF)	T20 – Twenty Against Terrorism
  Membership Composition	Dominated by major powers, largely Western-centric.	Exclusively, Global South countries are directly facing terror regularly.
  Operational Focus	Often reactive, bureaucratic, and politically influenced.	Proactive, agile, operationally swift, tailored to regional realities.
  Decision-Making	Influenced by geopolitical rivalries, leading to diluted actions.	Unified by shared experience, collective action, and swift consensus.
  Security Paradigm	Western security frameworks, episodic attack response.	Continuously addressing terror as a persistent security challenge.
  Mandate Clarity	Broad, diffuse mandates often lack actionable clarity.	Specific, clear, practical mandate: intelligence sharing, resilience-building, real-time coordination.
  Diplomatic Approach	Tends towards diplomatic caution and neutrality.	Willing to publicly identify, condemn, and diplomatically isolate state sponsors of terrorism.
  Response Speed	Slower response times due to procedural constraints.	Quick, coordinated responses due to streamlined, collaborative mechanisms.
  Inclusivity & Relevance	Often excludes countries disproportionately affected by terrorism.	Prioritises inclusion, giving voice and platform to affected nations usually marginalised in global forums.

 

Conclusion

T20 – Twenty Against Terrorism represents a bold and timely response to the persistent threat of terrorism in the Global South. By creating a dedicated, inclusive, and agile platform, T20 aims to supplement existing global institutions with a focus on real-time coordination, capacity building, and the unique needs of developing countries. Under India’s leadership, T20 has the potential to transform the fight against terrorism, offering both strategic advantages and moral legitimacy to its members. The initiative’s success will depend on its ability to foster unity, adapt to emerging threats, and maintain a clear, action-oriented mandate—ultimately providing a stronger, more relevant response to one of the most pressing security challenges of our time.