War on Terrorism under the Bush administration - Essay Example

War on Terrorism Question The three foreign policy goals of political and economic freedom, peaceful inter relations, and respect for human dignity have not been realized under the Bush administration. Our political freedom has been hampered by the politics of fear and the ability of both parties to exploit the issue of terrorism for their own political gain. The economic cost of the war has necessitated that the US postpone and cancel the implementation of needed social programs such as health care and social security reform.

Rather than giving the citizens greater freedom, the war on terror has enslaved the populous. The war on terror has also damaged our relations with the international community as the Bush administration focuses on Iraq as the seat of terrorism. The unpopular war was waged as an almost unilateral action without the support of our major allies such as France and Germany. The tactics used against the terrorists that have infiltrated into Iraq have resulted in severe collateral damage against innocent civilians.

In addition, the lack of respect for human dignity has been magnified by the news from Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay. Prisoners have been held and questioned without regard for the international conventions that have been agreed upon by the civilized world. Question #2 The Military Industrial Complex is the revolving door process where people move from the military to private industry and the government. The economic motivation is enormous as the Congressional Budget Office reports that military spending consumes more than 50 percent of the federal budget (qtd.

in "Where Your Income Tax Money Really Goes"). However, much of this spending is done to create elaborate weapons systems and does little to fight the war on terror. As we have seen in Iraq, the war against the terrorists requires urban warfare that is fought on a neighborhood and house-to-house basis. Expensive aircraft and high technology weapons are usually of little or no value in this scenario. The spending on these weapons systems continues due to the profit motive for the large defense contractors.

The war on terror would be better fought with improved small strike forces and enhanced diplomatic efforts. Works Cited "Where Your Income Tax Money Really Goes." War Resisters League. 2008. War Resisters League. 25 Apr. 2008 .