The United States War on Terrorism - Essay Example

? The United s War on Terrorism al affiliation The United s War on Terrorism Introduction All forms ofviolence characterize the modern world. This scenario is happening both domestically and internationally in form of terrorist attacks. Terrorism is now part of our daily lives in every corner of the globe although its occurrence is more prevalent in some nations more than it is in others. The effects of terrorist attacks affect us directly or indirectly. Direct effects range from loss of our beloved ones to incidents of terrorism that we experienced live. Indirect effects include increased security measures in busy public places such as airports leading to delays, emotional trauma due to reports and images released on the terrorist attacks on the press, significant drops in stock values and stereotype suffered by those who profess the Muslim religion. Since the World War II, the 21st century has been faced with increased terrorist attacks. The heinous acts of terror have forced many nations to increase their war on terrorism to safeguard their citizens. The fight against terrorism has taken a new shape and it is now a trend that can only be referred to as globalization and terrorism. Many countries have integrated for them to fit in a globalised world that fights terrorism through geopolitics and technological advancements. It is through this international system of globalization that war on terror started which is also referred to as the global war on terrorism. This international military campaign started after 9/11 attacks in the United States. The main aim of this campaign is to eliminate world militant groups such as al-Qaeda (Bahgat, 2003). The participants of the global war include the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Kenya, Australia, Lebanon, Tanzania and Uganda among others. This study is important since it brings to the light the efforts that the U.S. Government has put in place amid increased terror attacks. This research further shows the sensitivity of terrorism that requires not only the U.S. but also other government’s cooperation to fight acts of terror. This study also seeks to analyze how terrorism has taken shape in the modern world and the effects it has caused the United States. Literature review Twelve years have passed since the deadliest attack on the American soil in September 11, 2011. This happened when two hijacked planes were flown into twin towers of New York. The effects were devastating as 3000 lives were lost. Since then, America has been engaged in global war against terrorism. Specifically, it has gone an extra mile by protracting war in Iraq and Afghanistan that are base countries for the al-Qaeda terrorist group (Coady, 2004). Many speeches have been made to condemn the terrorist actions by the chairperson of the counter- terrorism committee and sitting presidents of the United States. Ambassador Apakan, the chairperson of the counter- terrorism committee told the committee to remain vigilant and resilient as ever and fighting terrorism and that should remain the top objective of the international community. President George W. Bush who was the sitting president during the 9/11 attacks stated that although the war on terrorism would take a while, Americans should remain patient. He also made remarks that the war of Americans on terror began with al-Qaeda, but that would not be the end until every single terrorist group within the global reach is found, stopped and defeated. True to their words of motivation, the U.S. could have immensely contributed to curbing terrorism. The initial stages to curb the acts of terror were founded on peaceful resolutions that were held between President Clinton and Saddam Hussein in 1998. The United States collaborated with like-minded ally countries like the United Kingdom and France by declaring Iraq a no fly zone to protect the Kurdish and Shiat population from Saddam Hussein’s administration attacks. In the same year, Clinton also signed the Iraq Liberation Act that sought to oust the Iraq administration of that time. These efforts were based on Iraq’s possession of dangerous weapons that were targeted for mass destruction. It is in the reign of President George W. Bush that Saddam Hussein was captured, tortured, imprisoned and sentenced to death for crimes against humanity. This was not the end of the war. Strategies have changed since then. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has devoted large amounts of resources financial and otherwise to avoid occurrences such as that of 9/11. Within a year since the attacks, the FBI established new web sites, hot lines and organizations that would help counter terrorism. The FBI currently has more than ten agencies that work to curb terrorism. Although many advocates are positive on the FBI efforts in the fight against terrorism, critics argue that FBI is reluctant in ensuring the safety of the Americans is upheld and that FBI oversteps the constitutional frameworks laid in its efforts to fight terrorist acts (Johnston, David & Eric Lipton , 2007). The federal bureau of investigation has been in operation for over 100 years with close to 35,394 staffs on its records. Forty percent are special agents while the rest are support professionals like technology specialists, scientists and intelligence analysts who are located all over the country. They operate in 56 field offices and four hundred resident agencies. The FBI works with an aim of becoming the leader for the small justice department within the United States, the international security forces and like-minded partners (“Quick Facts,” 2011). It focuses on providing a sense of safety, protection, law and order for every citizen of the United States. The Federal Bureau of Investigation carries thorough investigations, carries intelligence operations in a bid to protect the US citizens from foreign terrorist attacks while they are out of their country. The FBI also protects Americans from terrorism on their own soil and provides investigative knowledge on how to solve crimes that are too large for local departments of justice. The FBI seeks to mitigate threats that challenge the foundations of Americans by protecting the US from terrorist attacks, protecting the United States against foreign spies and espionage, preventing high techno cyber based crimes, curbing transnational criminal organizations, supporting federal, local and international partners and upgrading its technological expertise to achieve its objectives. The FBI top objective is protecting American citizens from terrorist attacks. It accomplishes this goal by the help of different organizations that support it in carrying its mandate. This includes the national counterterrorism center, national joint terrorism task force, strategic command center and terrorist screening center. Ten organizations are designated for fighting terrorism by both finding terrorist and stopping current terrorism. The FBI strives to protect the US against terrorism by controlling borders and ports, learning institutions, food supply, public on transit and U.S. troops overseas. Through the joint terrorism task force, the FBI collaborates with colleges to train public safety officers. The organization trains the public safety officers on ways of detecting terror acts and defusing them. The FBI protects the US citizens against agro terrorism by checking against food poisoning. Through the Human Rights Offences Program, the FBI ensures that all the rights of its citizens are upheld. During special events like political rallies, the FBI intensifies security by setting up mobile units on site and deploying its security personnel to integrate with the crowds. The aftermath of the 9/11, terror attack has seen the FBI put stricter security measures in airports, ports and train stations. Over 450 security agents respond to any security threats in airports. The agents also train the airport staffs on how to spot a terrorist. The FBI agents in airports detect people who are on ‘No fly’ list. Unlike airports, ports and train stations are assigned a smaller number of personnel that oversee the security of railways and seas. The FBI cooperates with the transport administrators to detect illegal goods on transit, bombs, terrorists and messages. The FBI sends its troops overseas on hot beds of terrorist activities to know the plans of terrorists and stop their operations. With technological advancements, the FBI uses high quality surveillance equipments on key areas such as ports and railways to locate terrorists. The government of the US avails all resources that are useful for the fight against terrorism. After the terrorist attacks in September 9, the government passed a Patriotic Act (“Quick Facts,” 2011). This act made it possible for the FBI to have access to vital information on a suspect such as telephone numbers and financial records without gong through legal protocols. The USA Patriotic Act also allows for wiretapping without the knowledge of the person under investigation. Although this is one of the measures put in place to fight acts of terrorism, the FBI has been criticized for obstructing the rights to privacy of the US citizens. More than twenty thousand citizens have their privacy invaded without their clue. The changes experienced by Americans since 9/11 It is more than a decade since the deadly attack on U.S soil in September 2001. America has been engaged in wars with Iraq and Afghanistan. The department of homeland security was established and the honcho behind the attacks killed. Legal acts were enacted among them the Patriotic Act. The presidential authority has expanded and the government of the U.S has intruded into the citizens lives reducing their rights to liberty. The attacks remain vivid in day-to-day lives of the common U.S. citizens mostly in buildings and the airports. The airports have seen the most changes since the attack. Travelers need to check in at least two hours before the flight takes off with a lot of restriction on what the traveler can carry. Liquids, toiletries have to be of specific size and placed in transparent and sealed bags. Food and bottled water is not allowed by the security. Passengers are scrutinized randomly if need be. After the attacks, new security devices were introduced at the airport and many types of searches have since been tried. Due to extra security protocol involved, the lines are usually longer but passengers have become accustomed to them. Airplanes have been made more secure by fitting them with stronger cockpit doors. Air Marshalls have more than ever assigned to guard against any act of terror. The list of ‘no fly’ now exists and grows day by day since the attacks. A color-coded threat security system that has been in place for nine years after the attacks has now been replaced by a national terror advisory system that monitors threats geographically. Public buildings have intensified their security system. Workers in offices have security badges and a sign in books have been availed in each building for guests to sign in (How We've Changed Since 9/11, n.d.). Psychologically, American people have been tortured. Specifically, people from the Middle East respond to September 11 attacks with fear and anger. The intolerance for migrants has significantly grown. Reports indicate that following the attacks, the government launched war on terror in which the search for suspects was heightened. As a result, many Muslims and Asians suffered harassment and hate crimes. The Indians were not left behind as they were mistakenly taken for Muslims. The FBI reports indicates that hate crime incidents targeting the Muslim increased from 28 to 481 between year 2000 and 2001. The rising hate among the Muslim saw attacks on mosques and Hindu temples (McCauley& Stellar, 2010). Besides fear and aggression, figures from health programs show that firefighters, police officers and common citizens who were exposed to the 9/11 attacks have been diagnosed with post traumatic disorder. This has been evidenced by their low concentrating levels as well as problems during sleep. Health wise, people in New York city suffered. As the Twin Towers collapsed, tons of debris with high amount of carcinogens was released. Rescuers and recovery workers were exposed to dangerous chemicals that led to development of lung illnesses. The fight on terror has not spared the economy. According to reports by Center for Defense Information, the costs of engaging in war with Iraq and Afghanistan reached $1.29 trillion by 2011. This has affected negatively on the U.S. economy and debates have emerged that it is the cause of the country recession. Apart from the high costs of going into war, people have lost lives. According to the department of Defense, more than 6000 soldiers lost their lives by May 12, 2011 while 43,399 service members were wounded (Friedman, 2010). The worldwide sympathy on the U.S. has faded since the bombings with much of the Arab world censoring U.S. occupation in Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The US has not yet fully recovered from the horrendous attacks but it has taken all the measures to ensure the safety of its citizens. No room for complacency According to a research carried out by the Heritage Foundation, 40 attacks have been thwarted since the 9/11 attacks between 2001 and 2007. This is a strong indication that the war on terror is not ending soon as more and more cases of terror have been reported since the 2001 bombast. The United States has been successful but applauding its achievements does not mean that the war on terror is over (Ronald &Kessler, 2011). A review on the terrorist plots that have been curbed before their materialization provides valuable information for understanding the nature of the threats and devising strategies that can best prevent the unpredictable attacks. With 40 terror plots , the rise of terror threats need not be ignored since the enemies of the United States seem unrelenting on their devious acts. The 40 stopped attacks started on December 2001 when Richard Reid, a Briton trained in Afghanistan hid explosives in his shoes before boarding his fight scheduled for Miami. His attempts to ignite the explosives were noticed by passengers after whom he was apprehended and taken to custody. In 2003 during the trial, he was found guilty on terrorist charges and sentenced for life. In May 2002, Jose Padilla was arrested in Chicago airport heading Pakistan and charged on terrorism training. In September 2002, the Lackawanna Six who attended training in Afghanistan were arrested, sentenced and imprisoned. These are among a few cases that reveal that the intensity of terrorism facing the U.S. it is important that the FBI, other security agencies as well as the citizens remain vigilant to avoid the repeat of the 9/11 eventuality. Conclusion With 40 attacks within a decade, the lawmakers should put in place more stringent measures that mitigate terrorism. To start with, the lawmakers should preserve existing laws that counter terrorism such as the Patriotic Act. The authorities provided by the Patriotic Act are much helpful in destroying plots thus the 24/7 surveillance on personal and business records should be upheld (Rubel&Alan, 2007). Secondly, the U.S. should improve on visa security issuance to plug gaps in procedures that halt terrorist travel before he/she becomes an imminent danger to other passengers. The security scrutiny should make sure that the terrorists are long detected before they reach the airport. Thirdly, the congress should relax the rules that restrict the authority of the Commander in Chief. The Commander in Chief should be allowed to make decisions that determine the person to be captured, time to capture and the procedure for prosecution. The use of detention facilities such as the Guantanamo Bay should continue. The U.S. should increase its information sharing with its allies while improving coordination between the security agencies. Finally, the U.S should remain committed to ending terrorism by fighting the terror groups in their backyards. This strategy should involve pressurizing the governments in Pakistan and Afghanistan to flush out the terrorists within their boundaries. References How We've Changed Since 9/11. (n.d.). Infoplease. Retrieved December 2, 2013, from http://www.infoplease.com/us/history/911-anniversary-civilian-changes.html Friedman, G. (2010). 9/11 and the 9-Year War. Stratford. Retrieved December 2, 2013 from http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20100907_911_and_9_year_war?utm_source=GWeekly&ut m_medium=email&utm_campaign=100908&utm_content=GIRimage&elq=ff6696942c6c40d 2aaa59dbfd38bc3bd “Quick Facts” (2011). Federal Bureau of Investigation. U. S. Government. Web. 22 April 2011. Coady, C.A.J.(2004). “Terrorism and Innocence.” The Journal of Ethics,37-38. Ronald, Kessler (2011). “The Biggst Myth in the War on Terror”. NewsMax. 23 February. 2011. Retrieved on 12/2/2013 from http://www.newsmax.com/RonaldKessler/WaronTerror- PatriotAct-FBI- FISA/2011/02/23/id/387122 McCauley, C., & Stellar, J. (2010). US Muslims after 9/11: Poll Trends 2001-2007. Perspectives on Terrorism, 3, 35-47. Johnston, David., and Eric Lipton (2007) . “FBI Criticized Over Use of Patriot Act” NYTimes. Retrieved December 2, 2013 from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/09/world/americas/09iht- fbi.4863162.html Rubel&Alan (2007). “Privacy and the USA Patriot Act: Rights, the Value of the Right, and Autonomy” Law and Philosophy: 119-159. Bahgat, G. (2003). Iran, The United States, And The War On Terrorism. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 26(2), 93-104. Read More