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With the unprecedented attacks on September 11th in the United States came a need for global awareness on the subject of terrorism. French President Jacques Chirac, the first foreign head of state to visit ground zero in New York City, declared there that combating terrorism "is not the struggle of a single country, it is the struggle of the entire international community that is committed to human rights and human dignity." Like many countries, France is no stranger to the effects of terrorist acts. Indeed, having often been the victim of terrorism, France has been able to develop one of the best security shields in the world. Beginning in the mid-1980s, France was racked by terrorist acts, with bombs exploding in public areas such as cinemas, shopping centers, stores, offices, and police stations. A bomb was also found at the top of the Eiffel Tower by a janitor in 1986 (it was successfully defused). The world's most famous landmark was also the suspected target of airplane hijackers on July 25, 1995. They were fortunately thwarted by France's special antiterrorist forces. In 1995 Paris experienced a four-month barrage of attacks attributed to an extremist Algerian group. The attacks were conducted with gas containers that were filled with explosives. Nails and bolts embedded in the explosives led to around 8 dead and 130 injured.

These terrorist acts occurred in France, but also against French interests in foreign countries. For instance, on the same day in October 1983 that a U.S. marines' barracks was attacked in Beirut, Lebanon (causing the death of 241 Americans), a French barracks was also attacked nearby (with a toll of 58 deaths). More recently, in 2002, a suicide bomber killed 14 people, among them 11 French naval engineers, in front of the Sheraton hotel in Karachi, Pakistan. France has incorporated the need for combating terrorism at the highest levels of its government policy. In particular, an all-encompassing set of emergency measures known as the Plan Vigipirate was set up in 1978 by then President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. Vigipirate's mission is to aid in the mobilization of police and armed forces to ensure the protection and security of the French. It takes protective measures that are deemed necessary, including the reinforcement of surveillance and security measures in train stations, airports, and other places where there are large amounts of people. The measures are organized according to a four-tiered plan. The plan is similar to that of the U.S. Homeland Security Department's in that they both are based on levels of enforcement that are classified by color, red being the most severe. Vigipirate was first updated in 1995, then again in 2000.

Vigipirate consists of two phases: Vigipirate simple and Vigipirate renforcé (the latter intensifies the measures of the former, less draconian plan). With Vigipirate renforcé, customs plays a more assertive role in ensuring better security, both police forces and the army are present at high-traffic public areas (such as airports, train stations, etc…) and the entrances and exits of major buildings are heavily monitored. The simple plan concerns many measures that the administration must take, i.e. controlling the efficiency of surveillance efforts, ensuring that safety measures are implemented (especially in areas that are very frequented by the public), and making sure that lines of communication with police and military forces remain open.

Like the United States and many other countries around the world, France is no stranger to terrorist acts. Having been greatly affected by terrorism, France has long been determined to prevent future terrorist acts, and is completely united with America in this regard.