Just War Theory Of Terrorism Essay

On September 11th 2001, the United States was hit with a devastating blow when four commercial airplanes were hijacked by Al-Qaeda terrorist who deliberately crashed two of the planes into the World Trade Center complex, and a third plane into the Pentagon. The fourth plane, headed for Washington D.C., instead crashed in Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 lives were lost on this egregious day. In response, President George W. Bush waged the controversial “Global War on Terrorism” which turned out to be a self-inflicted wound for America, bleeding still today. Bush’s highly-criticized decision was inconsistent with the strategic principles of war.

On September 11, 2001, there was a terrorist attack against the United States. Hijackers flew a jetliner into each of New York’s World Trade Center towers. Simultaneously, a third jetliner crashed into the Pentagon in Virginia. Due to these horrific events, thousands of people were killed. In response to the attacks, the United States declared a “War on Terror.” However, the actions of the U.S. did not come without criticisms from the people of the nation.

Terrorism is a word that is widely used in modern society even though most people don’t know the real definition and the meaning behind it.

LTC Daniel S. Zupan (2004) Just War Theory, Law Enforcement and Terrorism: A Reflective Equilibrium

Prior to 9/11there had been various terrorist attacks on Americans around the world and on American soil. However the events of September 11 intensely changed the United States Government’s approach towards terrorism. After September 11, the Bush Administration changed the previous American approach, which had primarily employed the combined tools of diplomatic cooperation, economic sanctions, and internationally coordinated law enforcement measures (Lee 2007: 137). Instead, the President declared in the aftermath of September 11 that the United States was engaged in a war on terrorism. In this war all terrorists who plotted against the United States and those who supported them were subject to American justice. This new

Our nation’s actions toward seeking justice and preventing any attacks of this scale from happening again came with quick notion, “Less than a week later (following the 9/11 attacks), Congress authorized the President to use military force ‘against those nations, organizations or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks,” (Yin). In essence, Congress gave the president the ability to use the military to seek out and detain terrorists responsible for 9/11, showing our country’s dedication to ending these attacks and those who initiated them for good. Overall, this tragic event revealed the need for stricter defense regulations against non-state actors (terrorists). For this reason, 9/11 was the catalyst for the beginning of the War on Terror and, consequently, the opening of Guantanamo Bay.

The world is now watching our actions closely. We are on the right side of justice in this war and should not give up our moral high ground in achieving our ends. Washington's immediate, bipartisan response to the terrorist attacks speaks well for our representatives and reflects the revived sense of patriotism prevalent nationwide. However, we are now sufficiently distanced from the attacks of September 11 to hold the Administration's proceedings to the very American standard of justice, which we are now engaged in defending. I am shocked to witness this country quietly succumb to the recent blatant and inappropriate expansion of powers the Justice Department and White House have assumed. This is not melodrama. A democratically elected US President and his Attorney General are proceeding as if they were reading out of a rouge states' instruction manual. This country is too great to fall to cave-dwelling terrorists who redirect a population's frustrations at us. It is not un-American to question the legitimacy of the recent anti-terrorism legislation, though risky for politicians who face being labeled liberal or soft in their response to the attacks. There is no question that we are justified in using tremendous force in retaliation. We do risk losing the world's support and help though if we now abandon our judicial processes. The United States is undermining the fight against terrorism by allowing President Bush to assume

The events surrounding the September 11 attacks on the United States of America have often been shrouded in a cloud of controversy and mystery, with no one individual seemingly able to apprehend the “true” details of the terror attack. Many proposed theories have been brought forth, the most widely accepted being that of co-ordinated attacks by terrorist organisation “Al-Qaeda”. “9/11”, as the event is commonly known, is simply one of many global terrorism attacks that have seemingly consumed the contemporary world. Thus, it is up to the acts and responsibilities of governments and legal organisations to undertake action in attempt to achieve justice and equality throughout the world, ensuring the safety of all people. Although, it is

After September 11th, the abuse of war technology became more present in harming innocent civilians. The citizens of the United States of America know casualties will be lost, but too many are lost. Us citizen’s feel sorrow every time September 11th comes around, but James A. Lucas said to ask ourselves “How many September 11ths has the United States caused in other nations since WW 2?”(Lucas). In other words they probably would not have taken place if the U.S. did not use its heavy hand of power In addition to James A. Lucas “The overall conclusion reached is the U.S has most likely been responsible since WW 2 for the deaths of between 20 and 30 million people in wars and conflicts scattered over the

In responding to the terrorism of 9/11, the United States has invoked a right to unilateral action that undermines the international framework of cooperation and law and shows a disdain for the rest of the world. Even before 9/11, the U.S. outspent the next 15 countries for defense. The military budget was sharply increased after 9/11 to

Terrorism in the twenty-first century has some similarities and differences from terrorism in the twentieth century. Terrorism is, in its broadest sense, the use or threatened use of violence in order to achieve a political, religious, or ideological aim. Also useful to remember that because the two entities involved, the terrorists and the terrorized, are on the opposite end of the political, religious or ideological continuum, the same act is viewed by them differently. There is much sense in the phrase one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.

The world has been changed forever since the tragic attack on September 11, 2001. An observer described the atrocity by saying, "It just went 'bam,' like a bomb went off. It was like holy hell (CNN 1). " The new world will be different from what any American has known before. A new war has arisen, not against a foreign country or a major region of the world, but rather against a select group of people who have the capabilities to destroy the lives of so many. The war against terrorism which the United States is now forced to wage will not be an easily won battle. This war will not be fought solely on scattered battlefields in certain countries. It will instead permeate through every aspect of life as we

Ever since the beginning of the terrorist attacks on American soil, the War on Terror has been involved in the lives of Americans and nations near us. The War on Terror’s background originated through conflicts between warring countries in the Middle East; U.S. involvement started when a terrorist guided plane crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 in New York City. The attack was suspected to be the work of the middle-eastern terrorist group Al-Qaeda. The U.S. military, under the leadership of then commander-in-chief George W. Bush, declared a “War on Terror” on the terrorist group and the fighting began.

Think of the word terrorism. What is the first thing that comes to mind? One might think of kidnapping, assassination, bombing, or even genocide and guerrilla warfare. Because it is such a broad and complex issue, an all-encompassing definition is hard to formulate. The United States Department of Defence defines terrorism as…

The Global War on Terror is a military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom and supported by other NATO members. It was originally against al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations with the purpose of eliminating them. This paper discusses how the Bush Administration handled the War on Terror as well as different aspects of it, including its terminology, its objectives, its military operations and criticism against it.