Terrorism as an Issue of National and Global Politics - Coursework Example

Terrorism Research conducted on terrorism has amplified particularly after the infamous September 11 attacks (Jackson, Marie, and Jeroen 26). The attack led to the emergence of the war on terror that was conspicuously instigated by President Bush. Terrorism has resulted in being a defining issue of national and global politics, with its definition describing the term as the use of violence and coercion in the quest for political endeavors. Ruby holds that terrorism includes intimidation, damage, demolition of property, efforts to harm, efforts to murder, propaganda that tries to validate violence and threats (9). This research essay will dwell on the political impact and conflicts caused by terrorism in the country and the global perspective regarding the topic about the US government. Terrorism in the US Perspective More than 90 major terrorist organizations exist globally, all affecting the US by posing terrorist threats to the country. This includes the ISIS, the Al Qaeda, the Hezbollah, and the Taliban (Griset and Sue 41). There are eight major special operations forces in the US that counter-terrorism. This include; the U.S. Army Special Operations Units, the U.S. Navy Special Warfare Units; Units, the U.S. Marine Corps Special Operations, the U.S. Air Force Special Operations, Task Force 160, the Joint Special Operations Command Units, the Delta Force and the SEAL Team Six. All these forces work closely with maximum efficiency. The methods employed by the agencies mentioned above in interrogating terrorist suspects have received major public scrutiny. Many human rights activist condemn the Guantanamo Bay as they believed that the US military base contain torture chambers (Greenhouse 15). In the wake of the vigorous debate over the application of torture against alleged terrorists, public outlook about this subject remains somewhat steady. Presently, nearly half of the Americans say the application of torture methods in interrogation is often (15%) or on occasion (34%) warranted; about the similar percentage think that the torture of alleged terrorists is seldom (22%) or not at all (25%) warranted. The US government is now more than never determined to provide support to countries that suffer from terrorism acts inflicted by terrorist groups (Pillar, 36). There is a shifting outlook among the Americans on how to best overcome global terrorism where there is now an increasing support for campaigns aimed at thwarting the ISIS in Syria. Americans approve the use of US ground troops aside from air attacks. Currently, 63% of Americans endorse the fight against the ISIS while 30% criticize the military intervention up from 57% and 33% respectively on October 2014. Jack, and Danielle adds that those who support ground military intervention are 47% whereas those opposing are 46%. Even though the US risks mounting the threats of terrorism due to its involvement, foreign terrorism is combated before reaching escalating levels that can extend even to this country where domestic terrorism could rise (58). Tougher immigration policies would also limit international terrorism finding its way into the American soil. Osama bin Laden was one of the most dangerous terrorists to have lived, having engineered the 9/11 attacks. However, with President Obama successfully killing Bin Laden, the public is relieved, and Obama’s government is now receiving approval and positive ratings (Whitney 4). The Washington Post conducted a survey where it found that 72% of Americans said that they are relieved, 60% feel proud of the government while 58% reiterate that they are happy. President Obama’s job appreciation rating indicates that 56% of Americans approve his job with 38% disapprove. Osama’s death has even enhanced US global domination in the war on terror. The government of the US currently led by Obama is also engaged in tackling international terrorism. The countries majorly affected by terrorism that have witnessed US intervention include Middle East nations such as Iraq and Afghanistan (Ryan, and Derek 22). Despite of the positive effects of US military engagement, Obama’s ratings in handling the state of war in Afghanistan and the menace of terrorism have bettered considerably by 16 points and 14 points, respectively, from early 2014 while the economic views on his government have failed improve. However, 55% of Americans think that the government is not responsible for the situation in Iraq while 33% approve of US involvement in the US. President Obama’s political pledge to bring back the soldiers deployed in Iraq has been semi-fulfilled and it is equally commendable that he has embarked, on a journey to ensure the Iraqi government is now stable both in political and economic fronts. Terrorism in the US is immensely associated with religion, with public gradually associating Islam with terrorism, particularly following the surfacing of the Islamic State and the Al-Shabaab (Harry 119). Currently, there is an increasing concern about the escalation of Islamic extremism in the country. Sunaina illustrated that the country has witnessed radicalization of Muslims across the world with suicide bombers sacrificing their lives to kill others. In contemporary USA, 62% of Americans are incredibly apprehensive about the rise of Islamic extremism around the globe, the largest statistical share from 2007 (365). Locally, a fairly minor population (53%) is incredibly apprehensive about the likelihood of growing Islamic extremism in the country, indicating a high percentage too. Skeptics have articulated their concern in the government’s reluctance to drastically reduce or altogether eradicate terrorism in the country. In September 2014, 42% say the government is doing enough or is doing nothing to ensure reduction of the terror menace, up 16 points from November. While, the survey by Pew Research Center, doesn’t inquire about ISIS, in particular, 67 % of Americans identified ISIS as a foremost threat to the country. The previous terrorist attacks such as the Boston Marathon bombings and the September 2001 attacks have created an expectation on Americans where they expect irregular acts of terrorism in the coming days (Borger 12). Over last ten years, majorities in the country have always held that intermittent acts of terrorism in the country will always be witnessed in their daily lives in the coming days. This response has pointed to 75% in the stir of the Boston attack from 64% in 2013 and now equals the 74% recorded in 2003. Where Terrorism is heading Terrorism is expected to evolve into a new kind of war after the upcoming millennium for an array of reasons. Given that almost every nation will have substantial supplies of weapons of mass destruction, biological weapons will become popular. Most countries led by the US are against stockpiling nuclear weapon, a contributing factor to the use of biological attacks (Pillar 76). Therefore, terrorist groups will perpetrate terrorism acts more than never, necessitating the government of the US to act more decisively in dealing with terrorism. The US is now seen as a lesser force in the global sphere, with China rising as becoming more powerful. Navin states that the common public and the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) members are concerned and unsure on America’s global dominance in the world. Rising numbers in both sets see the US playing a less central role worldwide while recognizing the growing importance of China (365). And the common public, which is in an insular frame of mind regarding international relationships, is less compassionate of increasing the number of the US Army in Afghanistan than are CFR members. In a poll carried out before Obama’s decision to increase the US troops in Afghanistan, both groups articulated cynicism about probability for lasting stability in Afghanistan. Currently, 46% of the public and CFR members (41%) say it is incredibly or fairly probable that Afghanistan will be able to survive the Taliban peril whereas 50% the CFR members favor rising troop levels in Afghanistan. On the other hand 32% of the public concurs. Impact of Terrorism on the American Society Interestingly, this area of research reveals significant information that can be used by the country, from civilians to the government as everyone feels terrorism effects. The Japanese Navy attack on Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor, as well as the 9/11 attacks, are the most memorable attacks in the American history to date. The impact of these and other terrorist attacks is well documented. One of the impacts is of the economic nature where the country is pushed towards an economic depression; each time an attack happens (Bruno, Simon and Alois 13). Terrorism usually has a crushing impact regarding customer confidence, and the stock markets are greatly rocked. For instance, the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center together with the Oklahoma City bombing made the country experience a short, sharp recession in their general consumption or purchases. The other impact of terrorism in the USA is the spike in defense expenditure. Terrorism in the country will lead to a swift increase in expenditure on state defense and on local administration security capacities. It is fitting to presume that the US will take military action against supposed perpetrators of terrorism, and any country overseas alleged to have facilitated them, as the US forces have done for less severe crimes under the past three regimes (Cindy and Donald 328). The dollar is always affected when terrorism affects the country as it depends on an intricate collection of political, economic and psychological aspects. In the event of terrorism, the dollar is likely to become volatile. The instant impact is bound to be tricky for the US currency in the foreign exchange markets, but that consequence may be short-lived (Bruno, Simon and Alois 16). After that foreign exchange market partakers are expected to turn into more selective as to which legal tenders use or adapt. Conclusion Terrorism is the greatest menace that affects all the countries. It impacts severely on people’s lives, both politically and economically. The political power of the US is now weakening as a result of the emergence of China as an economic superpower. Americans now see the ongoing ISIS crises in Syria as the greatest threat to national security, and it is a commendable that they now support the deployment of ground soldiers as a solution to combat terrorism. Recommendation for Further Studies This research concentrated on terrorism on the US perspective. Further research should be carried out in the global perspective involving all countries. Works Cited Bapat, Navin A. "Transnational terrorism, US military aid, and the incentive to misrepresent." Journal of Peace Research 48.3 (2011): 303-318. Print. Borger, Julian, et al. "Special Report: Terrorism in the US." Guardian, September 12 (2001). Frey, Bruno S., Simon Luechinger, and Alois Stutzer. "Calculating tragedy: Assessing the costs of terrorism." Journal of Economic Surveys 21.1 (2007): 1-24. Print. Goodman, Ryan, and Derek Jinks. "International Law, US War Powers, and the Global War on Terrorism." Harv. L. Rev. 118 (2004): 2653. Print. Greenhouse, Linda. "Mystery of Guantanamo Bay Jefferson Lecture-University of California, Berkeley-September 17, 2008, The." Berkeley J. Intl Law 27 (2009): 1. Online source. Griset, Pamala L., and Sue Mahan. Terrorism in perspective. London: Sage Publications, 2003. Jackson, Richard, Marie Breen Smyth, and Jeroen Gunning, eds. Critical terrorism studies: a new research agenda. Routledge, 2009. Print. Kam, Cindy D., and Donald R. Kinder. "Terror and ethnocentrism: Foundations of American support for the war on terrorism." Journal of Politics 69.2 (2007): 320-338. Print. Keane, Jack, and Danielle Pletka. "An American-Led Coalition Can Defeat ISIS." Wall Street Journal (2014). Print. Maira, Sunaina. "" Good" and" bad" Muslim citizens: feminists, terrorists, and US Orientalisms." Feminist Studies (2009): 631-656. Online source. Pillar, Paul R. Terrorism and US foreign policy. Brookings Institution Press, 2001. Ruby, Charles L. "The definition of terrorism." Analyses of social issues and public policy 2.1 (2002): 9-14. Print. Sidlow, Edward, and Beth Henschen. GOVT 6. Cengage Learning, 2013. Print. Thomas, Whitney Y. "Content Analysis: US Newspaper and social media portrayal of President Obama in association with the killing of Osama bin Laden during the 2012 presidential election year." (2013). Triandis, Harry C. Fooling Ourselves: Self-Deception in Politics, Religion, and Terrorism: Self-Deception in Politics, Religion, and Terrorism. ABC-CLIO, 2008. Read More