Terrorism And The International Humanitarian Law Essay

9-11 is one of the most memorable, tragic events to ever occur in history. Almost three thousand lives were lost on September 11th, and no one old enough to remember this attack will ever forget what happened. This tragedy started a ripple effect of policy reform and changes throughout America that we are still reeling from today. The causes of 9-11 were stated in Osama Bin Laden’s “Letter to America” in November of 2002. According to Bin Laden, his reason for orchestrating such a monstrous plan was due to the US foreign policy before September 11th, 2001. Support for Israel, sanctions on Iraq, and US military presence in Saudi Arabia were Bin Laden’s main reasons for an attack on America (“Letter”). Influence in Middle Eastern affairs was the cause of 9-11, an event that led to the formation of the Patriot Act and a stronger surveillance state. These new policies and powerful intrusive organizations have put the country in perpetual fear of another homeland attack.

On September 11, 2001, a series of terrorist attacks were directed for the United States by means of four hijacked planes. Two of which hit the twin towers of the World Trade Center, one hit the Pentagon, the headquarters of the Department of Defense, and the fourth crashed in a field near Pittsburg after it was meant to hit the White House. The terror spread in the United States and brought concern and fear to the citizens. The impact of these terrorist attacks caused serious and detrimental damages within the country, and their result on the people were enormous; insecurity, helplessness, and susceptibility spread. Especially after the release of a videotape in which Osama Bin Laden, head of Al-Qaeda, admitted that he was responsible for the terrorist attacks. Hence, President George W, Bush declared the “war on terror” against all terrorists in the Arab world, specifically Afghanistan and Iraq. In the following paper, we will be discussing how the war on terror was waged, its effects on the target countries, and how it was perceived by political thinkers, where some saw it as a conspiracy theory against the Arab countries, and others believed the USA was the victim.

September 11th catalyzed a major revival in the American public’s concern for domestic national security, which had dropped off following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The attacks, which were the first on American soil since Pearl Harbor, prompted American leaders to respond with swift and ambitious military action. At this time, the public perceived security of American territory against “terrorism”–an intentionally broad and emotionally charged term– as its chief national interest. Following the attack, President Bush announced the launch of a “global war on terror”, an international effort to combat terrorist groups and the nations that harbor them–prompting him to establish the Department of Homeland Security later that year.

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.

In the weeks immediately after the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, the nation watched anxiously as the Bush Administration declared war on terror. Following the invasion of Afghanistan to hunt down those responsible for this horrific incident, the U.S. swiftly changed its priority to invading Iraq and overthrowing its government by capturing its president, Saddam Hussein. In this mission, the U.S. scrambled to find a connection between Saddam Hussein and the terrorist organization al-Qa’ida. Since the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, many scholars have focused on the effects of the Iraq War, speculating on the Bush Administration’s motives for the decision. While some within scholarly circles have attributed the invasion

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;

The terror attacks on September 11, 2001, introduced a new form of enemy and in response, the government invoked the residual ideology of militarism to combat this enemy instead of turning to an emergent ideology, or a new, creative way of facing this new enemy. The Bush administration declared the war on terrorism and in solidarity with those affected by the terror attacks, the public supported the government’s actions (Foner). However, the enemy of this war was loosely defined as those who “hate freedom” and the board definition included all “terrorist groups around the world” that poses a threat to the Western world and the freedom it represents (Foner). The first act of war under the war on terrorism was when the Taliban, the terrorist group responsible for the tragedy on September 11, refused to give up its leader Osama bin Laden and the United States responded with air strikes (Foner). To the public, this military action against Afghanistan and the Taliban seemed justified because the Taliban was the group responsible for the terror attacks. However, with the enemy so ambiguously defined and without a clear agenda, the government was able to take free rein of the direction of the war and possible self-interest came into play. The government identified the “axis of evil” as Iraq, Iran, and North Korea, and claimed that these three countries harbored weapons of mass destruction, or nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, and planned to use these weapons on the United States; this claim was not supported by evidence (Foner). As the United States went to war with Iraq under this unjustified accusation, dissent rose around the world and many suspected that the true intention was to fight for control over the world’s second-largest oil reserves in Iraq (Foner). These antiwar protests around the world set the context for Pearl Jam’s 2004 cover of “Masters of War” on David

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.

Terrorism and the United States A cloud of anthrax spores looming in the sky of San Diego California

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…

to health and right to peace all go hand in hand. A country at war

War Against Terror and Human Rights The Human Rights Act 1998 took full legal effect across the English and Welsh legal systems on October 2nd 1998. The Act, allows people to claim a number of the rights and freedoms that are set out in the European Convention on Human Rights. The Government had high hopes that when the act was passed it would create a 'Culture of Human Rights within the United Kingdom.'

The immediacy and the primacy of any truly potent force is the ability to perpetuate itself. Sharp and energetic outbursts have their place, and can be known to have great effect-cataclysmic forces, despite their maximum destructive potential, are temporary in their total effects in relation to some absolute goal. In other words, they are generally limited in scope, and well defined in purpose; there is a tactical objective, which is usually consummated quickly. The more dreaded force creeps along, escalating incrementally, and while it may abide a strategic goal, or even a policy, it is generally open-ended. This sort of ambiguity I am referring to differs from the flexible tactical necessity in that strategic outcomes are very much

International security studies offer several concepts to facilitate comprehension of the complex international order. Transnational identities, balance of power and international institutions and law are the most applicable concepts to describe the international security system. They best reflect the thinking of political leaders even in contrary forms of governments in different parts of the world, in sum, they consider the most dominant paradigms in the study of world politics and they supplement each other in executing a variegated set of policies. This essay will discuss those concepts following their related main actors from individuals via states to international organizations. Each paragraph gives a short characterization of the respective concept, links it with the most appropriate paradigm and shows the application of the concept in both democratic and more autocratic states while referencing the other concepts.