Terrorism - The US Military Cannot Defeat the Terrorists

826 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The theory of myth

The US Military Cannot Defeat the Terrorists

One Source One of the consequences of the horrendous terrorist attacks of September 11 is that the United States is marching off to war in numerous countries around the globe. Given the terrible damage and large numbers of casualties, it is hardly surprising that most Americans want to destroy the terrorist organization(s) that launched the attacks and the government(s) that aided and abetted the terrorists. Unfortunately, there has been remarkably little public discussion as to why people from the Middle East chose to become suicide bombers intent on piloting air liners into enormous office buildings filled with people. Nor has there been much deliberation regarding the probable consequences of using military force to punish terrorists and the governments that harbor them.

President George W. Bush struck a popular chord when he charged that terrorists "have attacked America because we are freedom's home and defender." In his analysis, Americans are innocent victims of barbaric "people that hate freedom and hate what we stand for." The victims on the four highjacked planes and in the buildings were innocent victims, but President Bush is voicing a widely held myth whenever he argues that the terrorist attacks were designed to destroy freedom and democracy in the United States, or that the United States was attacked because it is the defender of freedom and democracy abroad. In fact, the United States was attacked, not because of its political ideals, but rather because of its government's foreign policy in the Middle East.

During World War II and in the years after, U.S. power flowed into the region. There the U.S. government sought allies in the fight against fascism, then communism, and lastly against an expansionist Iraq. In these conflicts American policy makers were not particular about who the help they recruited. Brutal dictatorships, repressive military governments, and absolute monarchies were all recipients of U.S. economic and military assistance. In Iran the United States government even went so far as to overthrow the country's democratically elected parliamentary government in 1953.

Today, the United States government arms and trains the militaries of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, and American troops help defend these countries. But these countries are run by monarchies that deny fundamental democratic rights to their peoples and vigorously oppress any opponents to their rule. The United States government also supports with extensive military and economic aid a corrupt one-party dictatorship in Egypt.

Show More
Related

  • Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq by Stephen Kinzer

    782 Words  | 2 Pages

    As stronger nations exercise their control over weaker ones, the United States try to prove their authority, power and control over weaker nations seeing them as unable to handle their own issues thereby, imposing their ideology on them. And if any of these weaker nations try to resist, then the wrath of the United States will come upon them. In overthrow the author Stephen Kinzer tells how Americans used different means to overthrow foreign government. He explains that the campaign & ideology of anti- communism made Americans believe that it was their right and historical obligation to lead forces of good against those of iniquity. They also overthrew foreign government, when economic interest coincided with their ideological ones (kinzer.215). These factors were the reasons behind America’s intervention in Iran, Guatemala, South Vietnam and Chile to control and protect multinational companies as well as the campaign against communism with little or no knowledge about these countries.

    Read More

  • Sacrificing Freedom for Security

    1407 Words  | 3 Pages

    Our nation seems as if it is in a constant battle between freedom and safety. Freedom and security are two integral parts that keep our nation running smoothly, yet they are often seen conflicting with one another. “Tragedies such as Pearl Harbor, 9/11 and the Boston Marathon bombings may invoke feelings of patriotism and a call for unity, but the nation also becomes divided, and vulnerable populations become targets,” (Wootton 1). “After each attack a different group or population would become targets. “The attack on Pearl Harbor notoriously lead to Japanese Americans being imprisoned in internment camps, the attacks on 9/11 sparked hate crimes against those who appeared to be Muslim or Middle Eastern,” (Wootton 1). Often times people wind up taking sides, whether it be for personal freedoms or for national security, and as a nation trying to recover from these disasters we should be leaning on each other for support. Due to these past events the government has launched a series of antiterrorist measures – from ethnic profiling to going through your personal e-mail (Begley 1). Although there are times when personal freedoms are sacrificed for the safety of others, under certain circumstances the government could be doing more harm than good.

    Read More

  • The First World War

    878 Words  | 2 Pages

    ‘Ineligible. Did not serve on the establishment of an authorized unit of the BEF.’ (primary source) on the 6th of June 1919 attitudes changed and a receipt for the 1914 star and a clasp was issued surprisingly by the Navy.

    Read More

  • Charles Manson Research Paper Outline

    1050 Words  | 3 Pages

    Charles Manson was a troubled youth. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on November 12 ,1934. (Petersen,1) His mother was an unwed 16 year old runaway named Kathleen Maddox.(Petersen,1) Charles did not have much of a home life. His mother and his uncle were both sent to jail for armed robbery when he was only five years old. (Petersen,1) During his childhood Charles got in trouble quite a few times. At the young age of nine he was sent to reform school for stealing. (Peterson,1) When he was twelve years old he was caught again for stealing and was sent to the Gibault School for Boys in Terre Haute, Indiana. (Petersen, 1) After a short time he ran away, but to his surprise was returned to the authorities by his mother. (Petersen, 1) By the age of thirteen he was arrested for burglarizing a grocery store. (Carlson,1) This time he was sent to the Indiana School for boys in Plainfield, Indiana. It was

    Read More

  • crucible

    1365 Words  | 3 Pages

    On September 11, 2001 New York came upon a terrorist attack. The terrorist hijacked four airplanes the morning of the attack. The attack was part of the Al-Qaeda Islamist group, led by Osama Bin Laden. Two planes collided into the World Trade Center; one hit the Pentagon, and the other one crashed in Pennsylvania never reaching its destination. The cause of 9/11 is that Islam saw the United States as a heinous country with different and awful morals so they decided to attack. The consequences were the tensions between Americans and Muslims rose. Numerous hate crimes were committed and there was a massive economic downfall. We could have avoided this incident if the airport security would have been more strict, then the attack would have a less chance of happening (Bantista). “Make no mistake, the United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly acts. Freedom itself was attacked this morning by a faceless coward. And freedom will be defended.” –President Bush directly after the 9/11 attacks (Tsimelkas). The government issued extreme changes in the military system and the surveillance ...

    Read More

  • The failure to Prevent 9-11

    2217 Words  | 5 Pages

    When a giant explosion ripped through Alfred P. Murrah federal building April 19,1995, killing 168 and wounding hundreds, the United States of America jumped to a conclusion we would all learn to regret. The initial response to the devastation was all focused of middle-eastern terrorists. “The West is under attack,”(Posner 89), reported the USA Today. Every news and television station had the latest expert on the middle east telling the nation that we were victims of jihad, holy war. It only took a few quick days to realize that we were wrong and the problem, the terrorist, was strictly domestic. But it was too late. The damage had been done. Because America jumped to conclusions then, America was later blind to see the impending attack of 9/11. The responsibility, however, is not to be placed on the America people. The public couldn’t stand to hear any talk of terrorism, so in turn the White House irresponsibly took a similar attitude. They concentrated on high public opinion and issues that were relevant to Americans everyday. The government didn’t want to deal with another public blunder like the one in Oklahoma City. A former FBI analyst recalls, “when I went to headquarters (Washington, D.C.) later that year no one was interested in hearing anything about Arab money connections unless it had something to do with funding domestic groups. We stumbled so badly on pinpointing the Middle East right off the bat on the Murrah bombing. No one wanted to get caught like that again,”(Posner 90). The result saw changes in the counter terrorism efforts; under funding, under manning, poor cooperation between agencies, half-hearted and incompetent agency official appointees and the list goes on. All of these decisions, made at the hands of the faint-hearted, opened the doors wide open, and practically begged for a terrorist attack. So who’s fault is it? The public’s for being

    Read More

  • The Criminal Justice System After 9/11

    622 Words  | 2 Pages

    September 11, 2001 was one of the most devastating and horrific events in the United States history. Americans feeling of a secure nation had been broken. Over 3,000 people and more than 400 police officers and firefighters were killed during the attacks on The World Trade Center and the Pentagon; in New York City and Washington, D.C. Today the term terrorism is known as the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives (Birzer, Roberson). This term was clearly not defined for the United States for we had partial knowledge and experience with terrorist attacks; until the day September 11, 2001. At that time, President George W. Bush, stated over a televised address from the Oval Office, “Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.” President Bush stood by this statement for the United States was about to retaliate and change the face of the criminal justice system for terrorism.

    Read More

  • Nasser and the United States

    2643 Words  | 6 Pages

    ...his actions. To Nasser, the superpowers were simply used and discarded when circumstances dictated such an approach. By the end of 1958, however, this approach appeared to backfire as Iraq became the Soviets favored ally and seemed to challenge Nasser’s hegemony in the Middle East. As such, Nasser’s subsequent repression of local communists brought him in conflict with the Soviet Union and caused a shift in the policies of the United States. The United States, in turn, approached Egypt in a similar vein as evidenced in its shifting policies as circumstances changed. It is therefore not surprising that by the end of 1958, the US adopted a policy of maintaining its alliances with its regional allies and also abandoning its confrontational policy with Nasser. Not surprisingly, the relationship would continue to fluctuate into the 1960’s until Nasser’s death in 1970.

    Read More

  • Greedy Politics and America’s War On Iraq

    2831 Words  | 6 Pages

    More than a year and a half ago, on September 11, 2001, a group of terrorists from the al Qaeda network hijacked four airliners and successfully used three of them to attack the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and the World Trade Center in New York. These attacks marked the first time in American history that a full-scale attack was executed on our own soil, and they affected the American people on a number of different levels. Americans found themselves shocked that such an event could occur, as well as reeling with grief for the more than 3,000 people who died in the tragedy. Soon, the shock and grief that penetrated the hearts of the American people gave way, in part, to a sense of national pride. American flags waved from every overpass, and “God Bless America” could be heard on every r...

    Read More

  • What’s so Great About America?

    557 Words  | 2 Pages

    To begin with, Author Dinesh D’Souza states in his article “What’s so Great About America”, “There are American bases in the middle east and the far east.” United States has spent billions of dollars opening military bases in multiple of countries, but somehow found their selves in debt. D’Souza also states “After leveling Japan and Germany during World War II, the United States rebuilt those countries.” Americans always lead a helping hand when other countries in trouble, when in fact their own homeland has issues. D’souz...

    Read More

  • Othello was Insane

    526 Words  | 2 Pages

    the married life and did not want to leave his wife behind so he left her

    Read More

  • Medical Progress Made By The End Of The Renaissance

    836 Words  | 2 Pages

    came up with idea that instead of using the red hot iron, he would use

    Read More

  • Mother's Day: An Unearned Good-Bye

    1164 Words  | 3 Pages

    then, As a result, He gave up on his father and began to live his life completely separated from

    Read More

  • Prevention of Terrorism in the US

    1120 Words  | 3 Pages

    Terrorism will happen again regardless of how prepared the U.S. thinks it may be. This means that it is the country’s job to ensure that there is a continuation of measures that should be taken to fight against terrorism. Others believe that the U.S. is fully prepared for another terrorist attack and that enough has been done. The question at hand is, should the U.S. still be concerned about terrorism. The United States needs to be concerned about terrorism to prevent tragedies like 9/11 from happening again, to address problems with domestic terrorism, and to improve homeland security.

    Read More

  • The Discovery Of Oil During Middle East

    1343 Words  | 3 Pages

    The discovery of oil in Middle East in the late nineteenth century added a critical dimension to the region as major outside state powers employed military force to protect their newly acquired interests in the Middle East. The United States efforts to secure the flow of oil have led to their ever-increasing involvement in the Middle East’s political affairs and ongoing power struggles. By the end of the twentieth century, safeguarding the flow of oil from the Persian Gulf had become one of the most important functions of the U.S. military. The close relationship between the United States and the Saudi royal family was formed in the final months of World War II, when U.S. leaders sought to ensure preferential access to Saudi’s petroleum. The U.S. link with Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region has demonstrated to be greatly beneficial to both parties, yet it has also led to ever deepening U.S. involvement in regional politics.

    Read More

More about Terrorism - The US Military Cannot Defeat the Terrorists

Open Document