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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.
The United States of America was deeply shocked when, on September 11, 2001, airplanes we used as missiles to destroy the Twin World Trade Towers and damage the Pentagon. Around 3000 people were killed because of these terrorist attacks. It was seen as the worst terrorist attack on the United States and was therefore condemned and deemed inexcusable. These attacks were a great blow to the United States’ national security. For four commercial planes, which were taking off from United States soil, to be taken control of by nineteen hijackers and crashed into the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon was truly unbelievable. These terrorist attacks led to reactions of a political, social and economical nature around the world.
Immediately, after the attack on the World Trade Centers, an intensive investigation, by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, was underway to identify who was responsible for these attacks. These investigations led the Bush Administration to believe that these attacks were implemented under the orders of Osama Bin Laden, an exiled Saudi dissident and his group of followers, under the name “Al Qaeda”. Osama bin Laden was previously involved in a number of attacks on and plots against the United States. He is also known for his grudge against the United States.
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...er 17, 2001). A fight vs. evil, Bush and Cabinet tell U.S. NY Daily News. Retrieved from http://articles.nydailynews.com/2001-09-17/news/18363867_1_camp-david-gulf-war-terrorists on May 23, 2011.
National Strategy for Combating Terrorism. (September 2006). The White House. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/NSCT0906.pdf on May 23, 2011.
NATO and the Fight Against Terrorism. (March 9, 2011). Retrieved from http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_48801.htm on May 25, 2011.
Johnson, C. (September 10, 2006). Rice Says Iraq War Still Worth It. CBS News. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/09/10/politics/main1991439.shtml on May 25, 2011.
Richissin, T. (September 2, 2004). “War on Terror” difficult to define. The Seattle Times. Retrieved from http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002023596_russanal02.html on May 25, 2011.
Jackson, Richard. "War on Terrorism (United States History)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.
Carr, Matthew.” Chapter 12: A Raid on the Path: 9/11 and the War on Terror.” Unknown Soldiers. 291-321.UK: Profile Books, 2006. History Reference Center. Web.25 Feb, 2014
September 11, 2001 marked one of the most tragic events in United States history. As a way to assure the safety and wellbeing of U.S. citizens shortly after being attacked by al-Qaeda, President Bush stated, “Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts may shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve”. Although President Bush was seen a source of security during a time of need, many citizens felt that his words were not genuine and part of a dramatic story the government wanted its people to believe. Despite the side taken, both perspectives of the argument can agree that the U.S. was attacked by a series of coordinated suicide attacks by al-Qaeda. On that Tuesday morning, 19 terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners. The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon, and the fourth into a field in rural Pennsylvania after passengers fought back against the terrorist to try and regain control of the plane. This is the story the government wants its people to believe. However, the truths about the attacks on 9/11 are much more frightening. On September 11th, 2001, the United States government betrayed its citizens by allowing the destructive attacks on the Twin Towers, WTC-7, the Pentagon, and Shanksville.
After the tragedy and chaos of September 11th, 2001 there was an expectation for the United States to respond with aggression. In his address to the nation, President George W. Bush stated “The search is underway for those who are behind these evil acts…We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them.” It became apparent that the perpetrators were affiliates of the radical Muslim group Al-Qaida, and with Al-Qaida as the espoused target the War on Terror in the Middle East began. War was presented as the only course of action. The attacks on the World Trade Center elicited fear in the US public and a post-9/11 state of emergency regarding homeland security made war … It started in Afghanistan and eventually transitioned into Iraq. I will discuss how an Orientalist discourse used by politicians and the media framed and justified the War on Terror . Through this discourse an inferior “other” was created and that alienated dehumanized the East and its people in the US public consciousness, internationally and within the United States.
On September 1, 2001, terrorists associated with the Al-Qaeda hijacked four airliners and carried out suicide attacks against the United States that forever impacted American’s lives. It was the deadliest event in U.S. history for first responders: 343 firefighters and 72 policemen were killed. In addition, 2,996 civilians were killed, and it led to over $3 trillion in total costs. The attacks explained by the cause of the attacks, the description of the attack, and the impact it had on the U.S.
"Building Resilience Against Terrorism: Canada’s Counter-terrorism Strategy." Government of Canada, Public Safety Canada. Government of Canada, 19 Aug. 2013. Web. 09 Nov. 2013.
Host: On September the 11th 2001, the notorious terror organisation known as Al-Qaeda struck at the very heart of the United States. The death count was approximately 3,000; a nation was left in panic. To this day, counterterrorism experts and historians alike regard the event surrounding 9/11 as a turning point in US foreign relations. Outraged and fearful of radical terrorism from the middle-east, President Bush declared that in 2001 that it was a matter of freedoms; that “our very freedom has come under attack”. In his eyes, America was simply targeted because of its democratic and western values (CNN News, 2001). In the 14 years following this pivotal declaration, an aggressive, pre-emptive approach to terrorism replaced the traditional
On September 11, 2001 the world trade center and the pentagon were attacked by the terrorist group Al Qaeda. Those terrorist hijacked four airliners and flew them into the buildings that they targeted. One of the airliners did not make it to its target and crashed in an open field in Pennsylvania. 2,996 lives were lost and those include the lives lost at the world trade center, on the four airliners, and the pentagon (Miller 11). 9/11 is the worst terrorist attack to date. By looking at what terrorism is and it’s history, we can see its causes and effects in today’s society.
First shock, then terror, followed by sorrow and lastly rage were my emotions on September 11th, 2001 when a hijacked airliner crashed into the Twin Towers in New York City. Tunh! Tunh! Tunh! All circuits are busy; please try again at a later time. This message kept repeating as I tried to call my cousin in New York, who was working in the South Tower. At the time the American Airlines flight 11 just moments earlier crashed into the North Tower. I sat in my house in shock and terror. Then at 9:05 am, about twenty minutes after the first collision, United Airlines flight 175 crashed into the South Tower. I began to feel the knot in my throat getting tighter and tighter until I just finally began crying. I still didn’t have any word from my cousin and when both of the buildings plummeted to the streets below, I thought for sure he was dead. When I returned home, my mother informed me that he had gotten out before the buildings went down. Turning on the television was another ordeal in itself. All of the news stations repeatedly exhibited the buildings plunging to the ground. I felt extreme sorrow for the families of those who had not made it out alive. They had to relive that horrible moment over and over again. I was also outraged. How could such an act be committed on American soil? The only way we can answer this question is to look at the terrorists who could do such an act and what possible reasons they have for doing it.
September 11, 2001 had fashioned a substitute doctrine to the cold war when President George Bush declared “Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.”1 Ever since that declaration was made 9 days after Al-Qaeda attacked New York, the United States acted unilaterally on many occasions2. It flew tens of armed drones into Afghanistan, Pakistan & Yemen. The U.S. Special Forces killed and captured scores of terrorist inside sovereign countries. American agents snatched suspects off the streets of harboring capitals and brought them to face justice in the U.S. The most spectacular of these operations was operation Neptune Spear, conducted by the
On September 11th the men of Al Qaeda, a terrorist group that has been the center of attention for some time now, hijacked 4 planes and used them as guided missiles to attack the people and government of America. These attacks were not against military targets or troops, they were aimed at the innocent civilians of everyday life. These cowardly attacks are the reason that the U.S. has devoted more time to national security, specifically airport security (September, 2004).
The horrific tragedies on September 11, 2001 changed the course of American national security for decades to come. It took a while for Americans to recover from the sadness, loss and confusion of the attacks. The American government knew that Al Qaeda–the terrorist organization that orchestrated the attacks–was still posing a huge threat to our nation’s security.
On September 11, 2001 the United States finally understood the reality of terrorism. As people watched The World Trade Center collapse, terrorists became more than a group of Muslims in the Middle East. After that fateful day, terrorism became a real threat, and the United States declared war on Terror. Since then, American soldiers have been sacrificing their lives to keep the United States free from many foreign terrorist groups. The background and history of the terrorist groups helps the United States understand the culture and motivation for the attacks. Therefore, since terrorism is ever present, the United States has
8) ?After the Attack?The War on Terrorism? (2001). Online at: <http://www.monthlyreview.org/1101edit.htm>, consulted on March 29th, 2004.
On September 11, 2001, the destruction of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon changed the mindset and the opinion of nearly every American on the one of the most vital issues in the 21st century: terrorism (Hoffman 2). Before one can begin to analyze how the United States should combat such a perverse method of political change, one must first begin to understand what terrorism is, where it is derived from, and why there is terrorism. These issues are essential in America’s analysis of this phenomenon that has revolutionized its foreign policy and changed America’s stance in the world.