Definitions of Key Concepts: In Search of a Common Language to Facilitate Cross-Border Cooperation

Counterterrorism is a multifaceted security issue which is difficult to grasp. It contains a variety of laws and regulations as well as a multitude of actors with potentially diverging positions and acting at different levels of competence. In this complex situation, this chapter identifies the ways in which terrorism, as a form of serious transnational crime, has been defined at the global and regional levels. When countering terrorism, States implicitly agree to multiple actions at different levels and cross-border cooperation. The concepts which are essential to transnational interaction are discussed and placed into context herein. Having an understanding of the concepts involved in interstate cooperation is useful as it aids the respective actors to operate and regulate with a similar or shared legal language. This chapter investigates the existence of a common language worldwide or region-wide, as a potential guidance to their members. It allows for the identification of similarities and underlining discrepancies within and between the EU and ASEAN. In particular, the EU and its Member States agreed upon a number of definitions, but have not successfully reached a clear agreement on others. In its institutionalised architecture, there is room for various formal and informal ways of cooperation between competent authorities. With its very loose—or even limited—legal architecture, ASEAN does not provide precise definitions and resembles more the international framework, facilitating more informal ways for cooperation.