Counter Terrorism Alternatives By James Penney. English Composition II

Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, then President George W. Bush stated “[o]ur war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated” (Bush, 2001, p. NA). The nature of the war on terror has changed dramatically since its inception in 2001. With al Qaeda decimated, its remaining leaders, members and supporters have fractured into several splinter groups each with their own aspirations. With varying ideologies, tactics, techniques and procedures, the strategy for dealing with these groups must be as complex and comprehensive as the groups themselves.

For the first time in decades, the United States was under attack by an outside foreign enemy on September 11, 2001. It was the day that “our security weaknesses were exploited, our vulnerability was exposed, and our fear became real” (Territo). Since then, our world changed forever. These attacks and the ongoing war on terrorism have proved that terrorism has no respect for jurisdictional boundaries. Terrorism is premediated and uses violence to achieve their own set of political goals or objectives. It is viewed as the violent actions of specific groups who want to violate the authority of the government.

When the September 11, 2001 attacks occurred the United States responded in a manner which was seen as a traditional reaction to such an attack; it used its overwhelming superior military to invade the nation of Afghanistan. As Afghanistan was the operating base of the terrorist group responsible for the attacks, Al Qaeda, the invasion all but destroyed the group's operating capacity. But in response to the United States' apparent victory the terrorists have re-organized themselves into a looser confederation and turned to alternative methods of finance and operation. One could say that the success of the American military's answer to the September 11th attacks have created a new environment in which terrorists currently operate. This includes the use of the internet, unconventional alliances with international criminal organizations, as well the inception of the "lone wolf" terrorist. Faced with these new type of threats, the United States and its allies must find a way to identify and deal with them.

     A gunshot, an explosion, and screaming heard. That is what is generally thought of when one hears the word "Terrorism". In most cases it is true, but there are many other types of terrorism. Most terrorist incidents in the United States have been bombing attacks, involving explosive devices, tear gas and pipe bombs. (Collins, B. 1)The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) categorizes terrorism in the U.S. as either; domestic or international terrorism. Terrorism is the use of force or violence against persons or property in violation of the criminal laws of the United States for purposes of intimidation, coercion or ransom. Terrorists often use threats to create fear among the public, to try to

Since the events of September 11, 2001, the American Public has been fascinated with what has become known as the “Global War on Terror.” Public support of the War on Terror has fluctuated since the invasions of Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003, with support significantly dropping as the wars continued. This waning support has caused many to question the effectiveness of the War on Terror in the Middle East. By examining research conducted both prior to and after the September 11 attacks and the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, this paper demonstrates that overall participation in organized terror activities has increased overtime; therefore, the “War on Terror” has had minimal success in reducing the number of violent terror attacks and political violence groups in the Middle East. This paper will begin by defining terrorism and “War on Terror”, as both terms are disputed by scholars. Afterwards, two other major points found in literature will be discussed—growth of organized terror organizations and impact that the War on Terror has had on these organizations. Next, the paper will discuss insurgency, which is another common type of political violence that occurs in the Middle East. Afterwards, the paper will discuss the shortcomings in the U.S. approach to counterinsurgency and two ways that the war on terror has failed to stop insurgency. The U.S. role in the War on Terror will then be analyzed through the use of drones in counterterrorism and the ways in

Among the security issues facing the United Stated in this age of change and turmoil, terrorism is the most challenging. This is not only due to the nature of terrorism itself, but also to the deliberately narrow focus of the US government and the ways it chose to address this threat. Three major aspects support this thesis. First, Terrorism is an old protean threat with which mankind has always had trouble coping. This often results in people emotionally overreacting. Also, ways taken by the American administration, driven by the wounds of 9/11, focus too much on Al Qaida, even when it is clear that many more terrorist groups are threatening the United States. These ways of dealing with terrorism are not fully relevant and could be easily

The international political arena of the twenty-first century has largely been demarcated by the national security strategies of the United States. The keystone of these strategies has been the United States’ Global War on Terror and it has beguiled not only the U.S., but a majority of the Westernized governments into an over decade long conflict, extending across the globe. This more than decade long commitment to anti and counterterrorism operations has not only revolutionized contemporary warfare, but has spurred rapid international growth and integration of information technologies. Globally, information technology has permeated military weapon capabilities, military and domestic infrastructure and has increased global economic

When the attack happened on 9/11, it shattered American’s perception that they were safe within the United States, and basically untouchable. The United States has oceans on the majority of its boarders and where land connects there is either weak or friendly neighbors (Howard & Hoffman, 2012). This helped create that illusion. Since 9/11 policymakers and American citizens have been forced to fight a new kind of war. A war that is more elusive, operates in the shadows from a great distance, but can also be right among us with secret cells and aliases. This new war also takes advantage of America’s industrial and technological advantages, using globalization to their advantage. In addition, may terrorist organizations are becoming more violent, have more financial resources, are well trained and almost impossible to penetrate making America at risk.

Islam is the arab word for submission, it is the second most practiced religion world-wide but, in the western world it is mostly regarded as a constant source of debate and conflict. Islamist groups have been attributed to 48 out of the 50 most deadly terrorist attacks in the year 2017. This figure is especially concerning if we consider that all this attacks had at least 19 decease, and up to more than 250. But, while it is true that terrorism is a very present topic, we must take into account that there are around 1.8 billion Muslims in the world and the most active islamist terrorist organization (Islamic State) was estimated to be around 26.000 fighters (making it around 0.000015% of the total muslim population). When looking at any other type of data, this ridiculous percentage would be dismissed as an outcast. There seems to be no reason to consider these few individuals the “rule” but, if we consider they might be the ones actually following what their religion dictates, the exception becomes a seemingly acceptable justification for discrimination. With people killing people “in the name of God” and others preaching verses such as “O You who believe! Enter absolutely into peace (Islam). Do not follow in the footsteps of satan. He is an outright enemy to you.”- Holy Quran: 2, 208, many people have begun to ask themselves whether Islam is religion of peace. Whether Islamic based terrorism is a version, or a perversion of the Qur’an. Not many people, however, have

While President Bush issued a call to arm’s to defend ‘civilization’ against terrorism, Obama has waged his war on terror largely in the shadows. This covert war against Al-Qaeda and other Islamic networks is conducted using drone strikes, sophisticated surveillance, and special operations. This war has grown considerably in scope and size, as the United States has increased the number of drone strikes six-fold in Obama’s first term and now uses a CIA-run drone program outside active theatres

Terrorism is primarily due to globalization. Due to globalization, there was a widespread of dissatisfaction, due to the very rapid changes in society, and the Western supremacy. Breeding grounds for radicalism and terrorist recruitment emerge not because of deprivation, but rather the time at which negative social, economic and political trends converge. Especially in the Arab world, relative deprivation, the absence of opportunities relative to growing aspirations and expectations. Information technology provides an interconnected nature of the world and globalization create an acute awareness about opportunities available elsewhere. Allowing more to be more conscious

On September 11, 2001, Americans were witness to one of the most devastating and deadliest attacks on American soil in close to a century. As the World Trade Center came crashing down, America was faced with a threat that continues to plague the country today. Unlike the attacks on Pearl Harbor, the attack on the World Trade Center was not executed by a state actor. Instead, it was the act of terrorism by a group known as Al Qaida. The fight against this terrorist group would continue over the next decade. By most accounts, the struggle even continues today. While this was one of the worst terror attacks in modern history, terrorism is not a new concept. Terrorism dates back to the nationalists’ fights against established governments, but has amplified since the 1970’s. New terrorist groups are constantly forming and recruiting members, not only from their home countries, but thanks to technology, from every corner of the globe. Today, even American citizens are being recruited to fight against the ideals of Western Civilization that are perpetuated by the very county they were born in. While Al Qaida might have been the focus of counter-terrorism a decade ago, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, is an even greater threat to Americans today. It would seem that the main issue with combatting terrorism is that a state cannot use traditional warfare because there is not another state to target. It may be the case, however, the more important and difficult issues of

Since the beginning of a 21st century, an international security environment has been proved to be more volatile, unpredictable, complex and ambiguity with their challenging effects in various ways. Thus, those challenging situations take into particular considerations when combating terrorism throughout the national security strategy. The civil war, sectarian spillovers of crises, state catastrophe in central Africa and the Middle East will likely to be continued with growing scale and concern.

There is no common global enemy more threatening than terrorism; terrorism plagues the world; it threatens the lives and security of millions of families around the world! However drone strikes are ineffective in eradicating terrorism, drone strikes act as an incentive to unleash monstrous acts on the world and have high civilian casualties. To stop terrorism we must first stop drone strikes.

Terrorism in the twenty-first century has become an important phenomenon, as well as a key security issue for most countries. The 9/11 attacks on the World Trade and the Pentagon demonstrated the damaging impacts of such attacks.