Since the brutalizing attacks that occurred in the United States on September 11, 2001, terrorist groups such as al Qaeda, and its subdivision turned adversary - the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria - which we affectionately refer to as ISIS, have metastasized into a worldwide threat that has shaken our way of life, our culture, and our approach to our opponents (Kohlmann). From 2013 to 2014 there was a whopping 35% increase in terrorism with attacks in 95 countries, proving that despite the valiant counterattacks, terrorism will not go down without a fight (Williams). Of course, the United States did declare a “war on terror” that despite many cons did result in the ultimate pro - the assassination of Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda and mastermind behind many terrorist attacks, including 9/11 (Shah). All casualties aside, the death of bin Laden, and more specifically the means by which his …show more content…
He demonstrated political courage when he did so by standing up for his beliefs. According to John F. Kennedy, there are different pressure groups that categorize the risks being taken when a Senator exercises political courage. Although these pressure groups and other strong-minded people are not a large part of the voting pool, they are the group that get the most attention because they are “articulate few whose views cannot be ignored” (Kennedy). This small percentage of voters may or may not even know what the Senator is truly advocating but, the case in point is that the object of this political courage is not to please others, it is to do what is moral (Kennedy). This circles back around to the moral argument of torture, that no one truly knows what it is like until they experience it, as John McCain did for five years in Vietnam at the now famous Hanoi Hilton, or the Hỏa Lò Prison, where there is now a statue in his honor
Foreign and domestic policies are not linear, rather the policies are connected in a circle, with each policy reinforcing the values of another. Domestic American terrorism in the prison and detention systems and governmental reforms are influenced by the mobilization and ethnocentrism abroad. The militarization internationally is justified by the domestic handling of the same cultural issues within the United State borders. The United States has strangely used a near Catch-22 to handle dilemmas. The United States has allowed perspective to become reality, whether with oneself or regarding issues abroad, specifically in the Middle East. Terrorism is the use or threat of fear for political or economical gain. An internal characteristic of terrorism is how dependent it is of perspective, one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. To understand “terrorism,” a focus must be applied to the history, what drove an organization to commit such acts. Respectively, the Middle East has been a hotbed for the key word “terrorism,” especially because of 9/11. Subsequently, Muslims have been stigmatized by the United States as terrorists. The consequences spawned because of 9/11 require a look to the past to understand the present.
The book “How Terrorism End; Understanding the Decline and Demise of Terrorist Campaigns”, written in 2011 at the height of Al-Qaeda, the most well-known international terrorist group of our time. The author of this work, Audrey Cronin, at the time of print, served as a professor of strategy at the United States National War College in Washington D.C., and a senior associate at Oxford University’s Changing Character of War Program. Both positions allowed her to impact strategic policy making in the execution of the Global War on Terror by allowing her access to senior military and civilian policymakers. Her previous area of her prior work has been mainly focused on international terrorism with an emphasis on al-Qaeda. She has authored
For the past fifty years or so, Americans have had the great fortune of living safely in a relatively peaceful world. That perspective changed the moment a commercial airplane slammed into the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11th. Terrorists killed over 6,000 American citizens within a few hours. Suddenly, life as America knew it changed. Many stood in disbelief when they saw the joyous reactions of people cheering on the streets of Palestine. Our nation came to realize that we were truly hated, and that terrorist regimes rejoiced in our pain. The leader of one such a regime, Osama bin Laden, became America's clearly defined worst enemy. A war has begun between bin Laden and his terrorist followers,
The events of 9/11 shocked the nation. One of the most highly acclaimed countries in the world was now lost and extremely vulnerable. The last terrorist attack on American soil had been ages ago dating back to Pearl Harbour in 1945, so far back that most Americans were not even alive to remember the incident. Now our nation was in a state of mourning, a feeling that does not come often. Everyone wondered if this was just the beginning or if it would lead to something more drastic. What was the motive or cause of this event? The answer lies in the past of their leader, Osama Bin Laden. Many critics have claimed that the terrorists in the Middle East just wanted to see us suffer and show that they are superior. Thus, they targeted the most symbolic places in our nation:the World Trade Center, the White House, and the Pentagon. The Terrorist attacks on 9/11, resulting in great devastation, can be traced back to Osama Bin Laden’s home environment, and these circumstances explain Osama Bin Laden and his
Prior to the September 11, 2001 many Americans were unaware of the unrest that existed in many Middle Eastern countries such as Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan. Regrettably on this day, America came under attack by Al-Qaeda. "Al-Qaeda is an international Islamist extremist terrorist network founded in the late 1980s by Osama bin Laden, who was killed in a U.S. military operation on May 1, 2011, and others who were involved in the war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan”( "FAQ ABOUT 9/11).
Moreover, both authors go over the extraordinary ways politicians pull people into believe in them. Cross said ““What is assumed in this statement? Is the assumption reasonable, or does it need more proof?” (Cross 254) The author, reminded us as a society. That we need to be more skeptical about things that we see and or hear from our politicians. Likewise, in the mild of the death of Osama bin laden, countless politicians have express that it was better to keep the interrogation methods. Which brought about the information of the killing of Osama bin Laden. The choice of words that been used by politicians at that time. Was and still my favorites, the absolute ridiculousness of this particular words. The ultimate of euphemism. It’s torture,
On September 11 2001, an attack was made on United States. Four systematic terrorist attacks were pulled off by the group al-Qaeda simultaneously bringing down the World Trade Centre in New York and damaging the Pentagon in Washington D.C. As extensive and in depth as the cause for the attack may have been, September 11 is an event that has undoubtedly left its mark in American history. A turning point, as some would call it, of the political, social, and economic systems of the United States. Quickly following the terrorist attack on 9/11, President George W. Bush called for a “war against terrorism.” Instead, what truly occurred was an act of counter terrorism. After 9/11, the political system of America took a turn for the worst;
Ten years ago on September 11th, terrorists successfully carried out a plan to kill thousands of innocent American civilians. On that day millions of Americans watched in horror and disbelief. How could something like this happen on American soil? In quick retaliation, President George W. Bush forcefully declared a war against terrorism and specifically against those responsible for the slaughter of his people, Al Qaida. At the head of this organization and architect of “9-11” was a man by the name of Osama Bin Laden. He openly boasted of the devastation he had caused, which in turn enraged the American people. This man eluded us for the past ten years until a little over a week ago President Barack Obama announced to the world that
“Muslims, Bin Laden argues, must reverse a series of humiliations that they’ve endured since the Ottoman Empire, the last Muslim great power, was dismantled after World War I. Al-Qaeda’s 1998 declaration of a jihad, or holy war, against ‘Jews and Crusaders’ urges Muslims to attack ‘the Americans and their allies, civilian and military,’ supposedly as a response to U.S. policies that al-Qaeda feels oppress Muslims: the stationing of troops in Saudi Arabia; the backing of U.N. sanctions against Iraq; support for repressive Arab regimes; support for Israel; alleged complicity in Russian attacks on Muslims in Chechnya; and interventions in Bosnia, Somalia, and other Muslim regions that bin Laden sees as attempts to spread America’s empire. These Western policies, according to al-Qaeda, add up to a ‘clear
When the September 11, 2001 attacks occurred the United States responded in a manner which was seen as a traditional reaction to such an attack; it used its overwhelming superior military to invade the nation of Afghanistan. As Afghanistan was the operating base of the terrorist group responsible for the attacks, Al Qaeda, the invasion all but destroyed the group's operating capacity. But in response to the United States' apparent victory the terrorists have re-organized themselves into a looser confederation and turned to alternative methods of finance and operation. One could say that the success of the American military's answer to the September 11th attacks have created a new environment in which terrorists currently operate. This includes the use of the internet, unconventional alliances with international criminal organizations, as well the inception of the "lone wolf" terrorist. Faced with these new type of threats, the United States and its allies must find a way to identify and deal with them.
A big question, which comes about when we discuss terrorism, has been “have we been successful in the fight against terrorism?” I believe the question is really “have we contributed to the success of terrorism on American soil and against Americans?” Another question would be, “have we contributed to the strengthening of states which harbor terrorism?” The biggest question in this quest of seeking answer would be, “did we create a new way of terrorism which we can not fight against?” The last question refers to the rise of ISIL and the world’s new creation of a terrorist state which poses a huge threat to the well being of the United States of America. ( This is not an abstract)
As a direct consequence of September 11, a number of substantial challenges lie ahead in the area of counter-terrorism.. The most prominent of these is the changing nature of the terrorism phenomenon. In past years, when terrorism was largely the product of direct state sponsorship, policymakers were able to diminish prospects for the United States becoming a target using a combination of diplomatic and military instruments to deter potential state sponsors. Today, however, many terrorist organizations and individuals act independently from former and present state sponsors, shifting to other sources of support, including the development of transnational networks.
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.
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.