important to note that this principle provide the motivation for the invasion of Iraq by the US as it extended the meaning of preemptive war to include armed action against `probable’ and not `imminent’ attacks. The preemptive measures, though not the one percent principle, was also employed in the invasion of Afghanistan by the US. Both invasions (Afghanistan and Iraq) were based on preemptive measure but feature difference consequences.
For the Afghanistan invasion, Operation enduring freedom which initiated after the 9/11 attacks. The aim of the war was to dismantle Al-Qaeda and deny it a safe base for its operations by removing the Taliban from power. Before the war, the US had requested the Taliban on two separate occasions to turn over those responsible for the 9/11 attacks, including Osama Bin Laden, in order to avoid preemptive action by the US. However, the Taliban refused as they sought for
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However, the activities of the US occupation of Iraq has proven that they may not be answerable to the UN and this has been used by terrorist organization in justifying their attacks against the West and its citizens, whose taxes enable their states to engage in war activities. Thus, preemptive war stands as a double-edged sword as it can become a means of nipping terrorist threat in the bud or escalating terrorist activities in the world, using the rise of ISIS after the Iraqi war as an evidence. In highlighting the inevitable consequences of preemptive action, former President Bill Clinton said `A preemptive action today, however well-justified, may come back with unwelcome consequences in the future. And because… I’ve done this. I’ve ordered these kinds of actions – I don’t care how precise your bombs and your weapons are, when you set them off, innocent people will
The Afghanistan War was the longest war in history fought by the United States. The war took place over 13 years and 59 countries participated in the war. The US led the war in response to the September 11th terrorist attacks in 2001, after the Taliban refused to give America Osama bin Laden and expel al-Qaeda. As a result of this on the 7th October 2001 the US and the UK launched Operation Enduring Freedom. They were then joined by other forces including the Northern Alliance, which had been fighting the taliban since 1996 when they came into power. The main goal for the Afghanistan war was to destroy al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
The United States’ War on Terror following the attacks on 9/11 began with the invasion of Afghanistan and an attempt to to overthrow the Taliban government for harboring Osama bin Laden, the one responsible for the devastating attacks, led to devastating casualties of American and Taliban soldiers, as well as countless civilians. The United States launched Operation Enduring Freedom on October 7, 2001 and began a ground and air attack in Afghanistan. In the first year of the war, it is reported that between 1537 to 2490 civilians were killed in the air assault led by U.S. forces (Guilliard 66). The U.S. swiftly defeated the Taliban but failed to capture Bin Laden before he escaped to Pakistan. It is reported that roughly 13,000 Talibani soldiers were killed in the first year of the war Guilliard 74). This led to very poor relations with Afghan “rebels” in which there were many sporadic battles with that led to Afghanistan becoming a
Crawfor argues against George Bush in his article "The Slippery Slope to preventive War" published that same year. His argument focuses on the lack of evidence for preemptive war and that it will just lead to instability and fear. Crawfor argues that there is reasonable evidence that al-Qaida desires to harm the U.S but that it is unfair to assume that rogue states have the same intent. This erases the difference between terrorists and the states they reside. Yet there are distinctions that make a difference. You cannot start a war with the excuse that a potential adversary might be out there somewhere triggered the offensive use of force. Crawford argues that this is not preemption but indeed paranoid aggression. The U.S has to accept vulnerability and uncertainty of potential threats and adversaries. They have to avoid exaggerating the threat, all this does is heighten their own fear. Crawford believes that their needs to be a middle threshold in place. Having a threshold that is too high can allow adversaries to plan and commit acts of terror before the U.S has time to deter or react. On the contrary having too low of a threshold will leave some states defensively arming themselves because they are afraid of the preemptive state or arm offensively because they resent the preventive war aggressor who may have killed innocent people on their mission for total security. Crawford uses this as an example for why fear of possible attack is not enough to justify this
After the September 11 attacks, it was widely believed that the terrorists responsible were hiding throughout the hills and caves of Afghanistan. The United States chose to invade Afghanistan because it was searching for the terrorists. President Bush believed that the Taliban was hiding Osama Bin Laden and his people. The United States and our allies were successful at removing the threat during World War II, but while our military was able to overthrow the Taliban and capture some of Bin Laden’s associates, we are still involved in a war in the Middle East.
The mission of Operation Anaconda was to bring down the Taliban government and to destroy al Qaeda. Operation Anaconda followed other battles that stemmed from the September 11 attack on the US. The first step in the battle was to overpower key stronghold towns in Afghanistan, which proved to be successful. But, intelligence reports revealed some members of the Taliban government and al Qaeda were hiding in the eastern White Mountains. Osama Bin Laden and other top al Qaeda figures were assembling troops in the Tora Bora region.
Although severe consequences come with the decision of war with Iraq, most blinded United States of America citizens are still yet persuaded to support such a war. The Bush Administration has covered their schemes of war with lies to gain support. While weapons of mass destruction is supposedly the reason why the United States launched military action to begin with, all the clearly ignored consequences will haunt their final decision of war, and will remind them how the war is not and never was justified. Whither the war is for the protection of the United States and their alliances, or for oil production and the spread of democracy, the United States is only intensifying the aggression of the situation.
The US led Afghan war ignited soon after the 9/11 attacks on America, killing approximately 3000 US citizens in New York City at the time of George W Bush’s presidency. The tragic attack was brutally carried out by a prominent Al-Qaida Leader Osama Bin Laden, who had just fled his hometown in Saudi Arabia and was living in Afghanistan’s rugged mountains of Tora Bora. The Taliban Government heavily dominated Afghanistan at the time Osama Bin Laden carried out attacks on US soil, and he claimed responsibility for the attack subsequently. As a result, US requested the then Taliban leaders Mullah Omar to hand over Osama to the US authorities since he was responsible for the ferocious inhumane attacks on the US soil, killing thousands and damaging millions of dollar worth of property for revenge and retaliation purposes. The then Taliban leader rejected the US’s offer and denied giving up Osama to the US authorities considering him a special guest, and giving up guest was significantly against cultural code and values for the Taliban, especially for Mullah Omar – the leader. Therefore, George W Bush declared war on Afghanistan, sending thousands of troops and attacking the country. However, taking revenge, retaliation from Osama, and even demolishing Taliban’s terroristic domination over Afghanistan was a reasonable excuse for the US to take immediate action, but sending thousands of US soldiers who some didn’t make it back home, spending billions of US dollars, which also caused
The United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001 following the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center. The goal was to bring down the terrorist organization responsible for the attacks, Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda has been defeated, however, some believe that continued American presence in Afghanistan is important because the country now serves as a base to fight terrorism. Others believe that the United States' continued presence is unjustified and that the cost of the war has been too steep make continued presence in the country worthwhile.
The fundamental goal for the United States government in Afghanistan was to destroy Al-Qaeda who was responsible for the attacks and their hosts the Taliban. The U.S also wanted
In response to the terror attack, the then president, George W. Bush, called for the Taliban regime of Afghanistan to hand over any and all Al-Qaeda members within the nation, as part of his declaration of a global war on terror. When the Taliban refused to do so, the United States launched the first of many attacks on
The invasion of Afghanistan (October 2001 - December 2014) The invasion was triggered by the September 11 attacks. It was intended to target terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida organization, which was based in the country, as well as the extreme fundamentalist Taliban government that had ruled most of the country. Taliban is the ultraconservative political and religious faction that ruled Afghanistan.
“Operation Enduring freedom” was a US led attack against the people behind September 11th, 2001. People like Osama Bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda organization. His organization was based in the country. The Taliban had been ruling all over since about 1996, and they were strong supporters of Osama and his Al-Qaeda organization. During their rule they tried to enforce as much Islamic religion as they could. Much of the country was in poverty
Operation Enduring Freedom began on October 7, 2001. The main focus was to dismantle Al Qaeda and deny the Taliban from holding power in Afghanistan. Osama Bin Laden was the founder and head of Al Qaeda, who was captured and killed in May in Pakistan. Although Osama was killed, this did not mean that Al Qaeda was destroyed. Osama had multiple Taliban Leaders who helped put organization to the terrorist group, one of these individuals being Ahmad Shah. Ahmad Shah was the leader of the Taliban known as the “Mountain Tigers”. Once Ahmad Shah’s whereabouts were known, Operation Red Wings was placed into effect. The Navy SEALs and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) were the key players in Operation Red Wings.
August 6, 2001, Bush was reported that receive a brief informing him of Bin Laden’s intent to strike the US, but this warning was overlooked and allowed the US to vulnerable to the attacks of September 11, 2001. Once al Qaeda was deemed as responsible for the attack, the US implemented a strategy to strike back with Operation Enduring Freedom. Eventually the US implemented Operation Iraqi Freedom and fought terrorism in both countries simultaneously.
The War in Afghanistan is the longest war in the US history, lasting from 2001 to present, nearly 15 years in the running. Once the two planes, United Airlines Flight 175 and American Airlines Flight 11, hit the World Trade Center in New York, the US was brought into the Afghanistan war. Mainly this war was to end terrorism in the middle east, and in the whole world. President George Bush sent troops into Afghanistan for two reasons, ending terrorism, and finding the one who caused the horrific tragedy of September 11th, 2001.