The article first analyzes the historical record of international, multilateral and bilateral cooperative efforts to combat and prevent terrorism over the past quarter century and assesses their effectiveness. The article then considers the four foreign policy options to counter, or at least mitigate, the threat of terrorism: (1) relations with other countries that are designed to deter terrorism; (2) relations with potential state-sponsors as protection against terrorism; (3) relations with other states that make countries vulnerable to terrorist threats; and (4) avoidance of foreign policies that may potentially offend terrorists or their state sponsors and thereby attract such violence. The article concludes with an assessment of the future requirements and potential areas for cooperation among governments and their national intelligence and law enforcement agencies. In conclusion, the paper argues that the most effective bilateral and multilateral relations will be loosely organized, or even informal arrangements predicated on, or organized within, the framework of existing diplomatic relations. Notes