Whether the US War on Terror Is Just or Unjust - Term Paper Example

War on Terror s 22 April 2009 Terrorism a Global Menace The aim of this paper is to study whether the US war on terror is just or unjust; the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade center shook the whole world and had many negative impacts on the society. Mass killing of people took place; people who had very little idea of what was coming their way were taken for a ride. Innocent people were killed for no fault of theirs; brutality was unleashed in more ways than one. This was one big attack which caught the attention of the people; there are so many terrorists' activities which don't catch the eye of the people living in different parts of the world. Terrorism has become a menace and it hampers development and growth of a country. It is very important take appropriate measures. The World Picture After 1945 250000 people were approximately killed in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; this still remains the most dreadful massacre of the civilians ever to take place in the history. A lot of things changed after the Second World War, the US became a force to reckon with. The US also tested atomic bomb under water and this was first done in the year 1946. The Bikini Islands in the Pacific was the place where these tests of atomic bomb were conducted. "The United States Representative to the UN Atomic Energy Commission unveiled a plan under which the US would surrender its monopoly of atomic weapons to an international body. The Soviets refused the proposal, and proceeded to develop their own weapons." (Baruch Plan for Atomic Control, 22 April 2009) In Germany nine of the most influential people were hung after their trials, these nine people committed malicious crimes such as killing about nine million Jews. The Germans just wanted to ensure that this should not be repeated and hence did justice to these nine people. In the year 1947 the Asian countries also made significant progress, India and Pakistan got independence and formed their own governments, this independence was achieved after a long struggle with the foreign forces. These were some of the most significant events that took place after 1945. US War on Terror The US war on terror was launched after the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, the US bombarded several countries to eliminate the terrorists, countries like Iraq, Afghanistan and a few others were invaded by the US. The sole purpose was to eliminate the menace of terrorism. During this invasion the US crossed all limits, several unethical activities were also carried out by the US soldiers, and they redefined the word torture. Several Iraqi citizens had their body parts removed by the US soldiers; many dogs were also used in this operation to torture the citizens. The eye balls of several people were removed and many barbaric activities took place. The US claimed that Iraq was in possession of biological weapons capable of mass destruction but no such weapons were found once the operation by the US in Iraq was completed. Saddam Hussein was also brought to justice during this invasion; he was hanged till death by the US. There are several ethical factors involved in "War on Terror". On the other hand the war on terror has decreased the terrorists' activities to a significant extent. The US eliminated many terrorists by air strikes in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan. The same has reduced the activities of the terrorists and the same has dampened the zest of the terrorists which was very essential. Dampening the zest of the terrorists was very important because had this not happened, the terrorists would have executed several major strikes across the world. The war on terror is a very debatable issue, ethically it may be argues that it is a very bad thing but realistically it is a very good thing and there was a very high need for such a war on terror. The Impact of Terrorism Terrorism has affected our lives and there are no two ways about it, the impact it has left on the people who have lost their near and dear ones cannot be put across in words. The paper presents a comprehensive view of how the situation has changed after the 9/11 attacks, There should be a no non-sense policy which should be followed by the government of the countries when it comes to terrorism. It is high time to eradicate this problem once and for all to make the world a better place to live in. This paper will also study how President George Bush combated against terrorist attacks. Numerous of definitions have been formulated yet no one has offered definition acceptable to all. Terrorism is a very old instrument of disruption and change. In the Middle East, terrorism has significant impact. Assassination of prominent leaders' can be was also carried out in ancient biblical times. As Boyer Bell observes, "There is no satisfactory political definition of terror extant or forthcoming, and there is similarly no common academic consensus as to the essence of terror and no common language with which to shape model acceptable to political scientists or social psychologists". (Bell, 22 April 2009). This paper will study the following three cases in details: Bush's Reaction after 9/11 and a host of other important aspects related to Terrorism US Perspective on War on Terror The US foreign policy is very convinced that the war on terror is arguably the biggest blunder for the US military, several soldiers lost their lives in this war on terror and the people in the US accept that there should have been a more diplomatic approach prior to the 9//11 attacks that shook the whole world. "The program, which was originally conceived to discuss the use of the War on Terror as a silencing tool of repressive governments in Asia, was expanded by Mr. Ali to include his position on US foreign policy in general. Dana Dillon, of the Heritage Foundation, offered an unexpected viewpoint as well, by not arguing against the thesis that the US's War on Terror is being used by Asian political leaders to their own benefit. In Indonesia, for example, weak and politically influenced judicial systems already permitted gross abuse of civil rights and President Megawati did not need the War on Terror as an excuse to jail her political opponents." (The Global Perspective on the War on Terror, 22 April 2009). The general feeling is that the response of the US could have been much better and instead of sending so many soldiers to Iraq and Afghanistan, they should have carried out a series of air strikes. Had this been done then many US soldiers that actively participated in the war on terror would have been still alive. Terrorism Terrorism is the issue on every one's mind these days. It is global disorder that we have been fighting, and probably will be fighting for many years to come. What is terrorism The word refers different things to different people at different times and the same is very evident. "Violent activity at one point in time may be called terrorism, while the same action may be deemed war, liberation, or crime at another time in history." (Chossudovsky, 22 April 2009). Terrorism has been around long time and often appears in poor second and third world countries. "Terrorism is the unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons." (Terrorism, 22 April 2009). Bush's Reaction after 9/11 "The terrorist acts of September 11, 2001, were brutally inhumane, but the people who planned and carried out those acts were not inhuman. Their personal motivations-about which we know very little-for bringing about such monumental devastation were entwined with the more well-known and articulated motivations of the large group to which they belonged-AL Qaeda." (Blind Trust, 22 April 2009) The United States has long-standing tradition of protecting American interests from intrusions that can range from external to internal infiltration; however, on September 11th 2001 our country experienced the worst attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor. In the three years following the attacks, much has been learned about the terrorist organization, Al Qaeda, and how they were able to penetrate American borders to carry out their destruction. September 11th has become turning point in the way Americans view the world. This is not only true in public opinion, but in the way our government handles domestic and foreign policy. The problem facing the Bush's administration has been how to craft policy that will prevent future terrorist attacks while maintaining civil liberties. Many steps have been taken since September 11th to try to learn what gaps existed in current policy and how those gaps can be filled to try to prevent another tragic assault that comes from the evil intentions of terrorists. President Bush has taken preemptive stance on deterring future attacks, but there are many areas of policy that need to be explored when trying to deviate future attacks; some of those areas include diplomacy, finance, law enforcement, and intelligence. (Burbach and Clarke, 22 April 2009) President Bush in his article addressed to the nation that we will be having Prolonged Campaign not just one battle against terrorists and terrorism. President Bush goes on to says that this prolonged Campaign (War) will not be the War you are used to hearing or seeing about. President Bush stated this War would be against the terrorists, wherever they are hiding. President Bush also states he will be using new methods of approach that may include air strikes, covert operations, and others. President Bush also declared Osama Bin Laden as the prime suspect and his AL-Qaeda. President Bush also goes on to says that he will also go after those nations that harbor terrorists such as Afghanistan and the Taliban regime. The Taliban regime is currently giving Osama Bin Laden safe haven in Afghanistan. Those nations that aid and safe haven, will be considered as hostile regime to the United States. President Bust states, "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists." Newspapers across the country, call for an investigation into Bush's lies about the reasons for war on Iraq. Many people may accept the fact of Bush's false pretext for war on Arab people in distant place, especially after the fact. The magnitude of the crisis is readily apparent by noting that 9/11 serves as pretext for never-ending war against the world, including preemptive strikes against defenseless, but resource rich countries. It also serves as pretext for draconian measures of repression at home, including the cabinet level Department of Homeland Security and Patriot Act I, and its sequel. The 9/11 Commission has offered proposals to merge all agencies from their current bureaucracy location into one large intelligence bureaucracy, and the formation of National Counterterrorism Center, headed by new National Intelligence Director. Legislation to reform intelligence has been stalled in Congress during the current session, but there is positive aspect to the formation of one intelligence bureaucracy. With so many different intelligence agencies being located within different bureaucracies, tensions exist between the CIA, NSA, and FBI. Appropriations to each agency are granted through the Congressional Appropriations Committee. For example, the NSA's budget is directly tied to the budget given to the Defense Department. When the Department of Defense's budget is slashed by the Appropriations Committee, the NSA also experiences reduced budget. The Justice Department is responsible for the FBI budgeting, which makes the FBI more loyal to the Justice Department than another intelligence agency. By making intelligence agencies dependent upon budgeting and appropriations to these different departments, there is an incentive to not share information with other intelligence agencies in other departments. The FBI would not want to give up piece of information that may help the CIA to solve the "mystery" or produce "the big story". Such an event could lead to CIA favoritism in budgeting. If we put all the intelligence agencies in one bureaucracy, they would be less dependent on separate budgets; and would have fewer constraints in their lines of communication. Conclusion The war on terror launched by the US can be viewed from several perspectives but the US has lost many soldiers because of this war on terror, many terrorists have also been eliminated in this process. To conclude it is very fair to say that it was high time for such an action and the US as always took an initiative and changed things around for better. Other countries should also do something similar to combat terrorism. Works Cited Baruch Plan for Atomic Control. (2006).In History Central. Retrieved on 22 April 2009 from: http://www.historycentral.com/dates/1946.html Blind trust: Large groups and their leaders in times of crisis and terror. Charlottesville, VA, US: Pitchstone Publishing 367 pp. Burbach, Roger, & Clarke, Ben (Eds.) (2007). September 11 and the U.S. war: Beyond the curtain of smoke. San Francisco: City Light Books. Bell Boyer, J., Transnational Terror, (2005).Washington: American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, 1975, 6. Chossudovsky, Michel (2002). War and globalization: The truth behind September 11. London: Zed Books. Davidson, Lawrence, (2006)Terrorism in Context, Journal of Palestine Studies (Spring 1986): 112 The Global Perspective on the War on Terror. (2004).In Social Issues. Retrieved on 22 April 2009 from: http://www.asiasource.org/asip/globalwar.cfm Terrorism. (2007).The Anthrax Attacks. Retrieved on 22 April 2009 from: http://www.qando.net/details.aspxEntry=6858 Bibliography Israel Calls. (2006).Muslim Media Network. Retrieved on 22 April 2009 from: http://muslimmedianetwork.com/mmn/p=223 Olmert Planned. (2007).The Independent. Retrieved on 22 April 2009 from: https://lists.resist.ca/pipermail/project-x/2007-March/015134.html Tony Blair. (2006).A Case Study in Crisis Management. Retrieved on 22 April 2009 from: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/uk/features/article_1178788.php/Tony_Blair_and_7_7_A_case_study_in_crisis_management Ziring, Lawrence, The Middle East Political Dictionary (Santa Barbara: ABC-Clio, 2008), 284 Read More