Global War on Terrorism - Assignment Example

?argumentative essay on global war on terrorism The war on terrorism is a campaign launched against Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations with the objective of defeating them.It is led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other NATO and non-NATO countries.It officially started after the 9/11 attacks on the US soil although earlier attacks on US embassies in Kenya, Tanzania and the attempted bombing of the Los Angeles international airport were alarming.The then president, George Bush took the initiative and claimed to fight the war on terrorism on behalf of the whole world.Following the invasions of Afghanistan in 2001 and then targetting Iraq in 2003,NATO forces have been involved in all operations as the attacks of 9/11 were considered an attack on all the 19 member countries of NATO. A very active participant of this war has been Pakistan which has been supporting US on the matter and fighting against terrorists by allowing US forces along with their own army to carry operations in parts of Waziristan(northern pakistani territory).Due to this war countries have the highest budget alloted to defence.This is all the taxpayer money we are talking about,which is you,me and us.Do we want to allocate our resources on just fighting terrorists in a war which never seems to end? Do we want to see innocent people being killed like in the case of Iraq,Afghanistan and Pakistan? Do we want this amount of destruction,caos and insecurity? Ofcourse the answer to all of those questions would be no.I refuse to agree with the idea of the global war on terrorism. This war has been a total failure increasing the number of killings,the use of weaponry globally and the doubt in the minds of people if they are being ruled by cruel,self centered and power hungry leaders.What seems to be the idea of the general masses is that the war on terrorism is being used to achieve US driven goals as it keeps on attacking and killing more and more without eliminating the taliban forces.This war has been so much hyped about by the media that it has become part of the headlines of every news channel in the world.The US has gone so far to fight the war that it has created a torture facility in Cuba with the name of 'Guantanamo Bay' which initially held the prisoners of war from Afghanistan and Iraq.Prisoners are subject to the highest degree of torture from  physical remand like electric shocks to psychological abuse, including religious insults such as the Quran being kicked on the ground.Most of the prisoners kept in this place have been proven innocent but their lifes shackled. The war shows the US interest in the oil rich countries to obtain unhindered sources of oil.This war is the war being fought by US alone without the support of the UN, which is the council representing the whole world.If UN does not support the global war on terrorism it is unfair and unjustified for this war to continue as it keeps on creating more and more problems for the whole world(Balken,2005).The number of bombings and the technology being used by the terrorists is rising sharply,showing signs that this is a never ending war which will just keep on causing harm to the environment,the psychae of the people,the insecurity among countries(internation relations) and causing unwanted bloodshed and violence(Hancock,2008). The resources of the whole world are being heavily used in a cat and mouse race with heavy cost of life. Increased expenditures for the global war may come at the expense of consumption expenditures, the classic guns-butter trade-off. These expenditures could come at the expense of outlays for investment, including business fixed investment, residential construction, infrastructure,public and private expenditures on health and education, the primary human capital categories, and research and development(Goldsmith,2007). The economic cost to the whole world is great as heavy investments on army have been made compromising education and globalization, and the resources keep on depleting as wars cause massive destructions which the world must have already learned from the experiences of world war one and two(Zelizer,2010). Insecurity,hatred and racism have been born as people of two different ethnicities are less likely to intermingle with eachother.Nations like Pakistan keep on suffering as they are under pressure from their allies.Religion and peace has suffered the most as Islam the religion of peace is being associated with extremism and terrorism and muslims around the world suffer.So the social and pshychological costs have been heavy too. Wars are fought with a security objective but with specific tactical objectives either to secure a territory or protect against an enemy. And perhaps the success in war is achieved by defining moments like, a surrender by the opposition like in the two world wars or an agreed truce(Korean War) but none of this has been seen for the war as it never seems to end(Haugen,2007).Will it end when Osama Bin Laden will be killed? Or when the unknown head quarter of Al-Qaeda will be destroyed? How will we even know if all the terrorists have died and be sure that more are not being created? On the other side of it the war on terrorism has been successful in some aspects.U.S has not been attacked even once after the 9/11 attacks when actually the mission started.For the people of US, the government is making a positive investment towards their security with good results.Another benefit of the war on the basis of assumption is that the expected economic destruction and killings have been far lower than they possibly could have had the war not been initiated. The war is carrying out our take on the issue as we refuse to surrender to the extremist views and ideas of the mujahideen whose demands are totally baseless and unrealistic.So it is actually carrying out a message to the terrorist forces that the world is far more stronger than their army(mujahideen) and it won't give up easily.The war is ensuring that the terrorists are not given an open hand to do what ever they want. This war has caused the international relations of some countries to improve like the United Kingdom, Pakistan,India and America as they all have a common goal of eliminating the terrorist forces from the face of this earth.US army works with the Pakistani army to carry out operations around the Northern Waziristan strip where the institutes of Islam(madarsas) are being used to brainwash children who can be used in the act of suicide bombing.Many high profile terrorists have been killed and the operations successful to quite an extent. However,the most difficult issue is that there is no accepted definition as to what constitutes victory, or success, so there is no way to identify the ultimate benefits. Available evidence does suggest that while there are numerous identifiable sources of costs, it is far less clear where the benefits are located. The conclusion, necessarily qualitative in nature, is that the costs have been many and the benefits few. Solution only lies in talks,collaboration and cooperation. The UN has to act like a world representor and intervene according to the consensus of the involved countries. The expense at which this war is being fought has to be reconsidered.The world has to mature to safen the future of this world and restore peace and harmony and find a better solution towards this global problem. Bibliography 1) Balkin, Karen. The War on Terrorism: Opposing Viewpoints. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Print 2) Hancock, Daniel A. The Olive Branch and the Hammer: A Strategic Analysis of Hawala in the Financial War on Terrorism. Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School, 2008. Print. 3) Goldsmith, Jack L. The Terror Presidency: Law and Judgment Inside the Bush Administration. New York: W.W. Norton & Co, 2007. Print. 4) Zelizer, Julian E. Arsenal of Democracy: The Politics of National Security from World War Ii to the War on Terrorism. New York, NY: Basic Books, 2010. Print. 5) Haugen, David M, and Susan Musser. Can the War on Terrorism Be Won?Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2007. Print Read More