Richard Barrett
Former director of global counter-terrorism at MI6; founder of The Global Strategy Network; UN al-Qaeda/Taliban Monitoring Team coordinator
| Richard Barrett | |
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| Born | 14 June 1949 |
| Died | |
| Nationality | British |
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| Occupation | Intelligence officer; diplomat; counter-terrorism consultant |
| Known for | Director of Global Counter Terrorism Operations, MI6; coordinator of the UN al-Qaeda/Taliban Monitoring Team (2004–2013); founder of The Global Strategy Network |
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Richard Barrett CMG OBE (born 14 June 1949) is a former British diplomat and intelligence officer who served as director of global counter-terrorism operations at MI6 both before and after the 11 September 2001 attacks. From 2004 to 2013 he coordinated the United Nations Monitoring Team concerning al-Qaeda and the Taliban and helped establish the United Nations Counter Terrorism Implementation Task Force. In 2016 he founded The Global Strategy Network (TGSN), a London consultancy that delivered UK- and US-funded strategic-communications programmes in Syria. He is senior vice-president of the Soufan Group.[1][2]
UK government career
Barrett has worked for the British government in the Security Service (MI5), the Foreign Office and the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). He was Director of Global Counter Terrorism Operations both before and after the 9/11 2001 attacks in the United States. He has served abroad in Canada, Jordan, Turkey and the United States. He was awarded an OBE in 1992 and a CMG in 2013.[2][1]
United Nations
From March 2004 to January 2013 Barrett headed the United Nations Monitoring Team concerning Al-Qaida and the Taliban. He was also a founding member of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF), established in 2005 to promote the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. Within the CTITF he chaired working groups on terrorist use of the internet and on dialogue, understanding and countering the appeal of terrorism.[2][1]
The Global Strategy Network
In 2016 Barrett founded The Global Strategy Network Ltd (company number 10433562). He served as director from 18 October 2016 until his resignation on 24 June 2021. TGSN led consortia delivering high-impact strategic-communications and social-cohesion programmes for the UK and US governments across Syria, including the creation and mentoring of media platforms such as SY24 and SY+. Leaked documents show TGSN working alongside ARK Group and overseeing networks of stringers, trainers and media offices. Critical reporting has highlighted Barrett’s prior MI6 role during the period of UK involvement in extraordinary rendition and his subsequent leadership of TGSN’s Syria information operations.[3][4]
Later career and affiliations
Barrett is a senior vice-president of the Soufan Group and a board member of the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism in The Hague; the Transnational Crisis Project; the Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation in Washington; the Centre for Research and Security Studies in Islamabad; and the Center for the Study of United Nations Systems and the Global Legal Order in New York. He is a fellow of the New America Foundation, Washington, and of the Royal United Services Institute, London, and an adjunct Professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He has written and commented extensively on countering violent extremism, including in The Guardian.[2][5]
See also
- The Global Strategy Network
- MI6
- ARK Group
- United Nations Counter Terrorism Implementation Task Force
- Soufan Group
External links
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Wikipedia, Richard Barrett (counter-terrorism expert) Wikipedia, accessed 10 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Soufan Group, Richard Barrett Soufan Group, accessed 3 October 2014.
- ↑ Companies House, THE GLOBAL STRATEGY NETWORK LTD Companies House, accessed 10 October 2026.
- ↑ Defend Democracy Press, Leaked docs reveal senior MI6 operative… Defend Democracy Press, 10 July 2021.
- ↑ Richard Barrett, various articles, The Guardian, 2014–2020.