Terrorism in the United States - Research Paper Example

? TERRORISM IN THE UNITED S of Affiliation TERRORISM IN THE UNITED S Terrorism has been a growing concern for both the government and the citizens of United States in the last two decades. Prior to the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, the government appeared to have successfully kept the international terrorist organizations away from the American soil. However, this did not in any way imply that the citizens of United States were safe from terror attacks. In 1998, Al-Qaeda, which is an Islamic terrorist organizations led by Osama Bin Laden, simultaneously detonated bombs in American embassies situated in Kenya and Tanzania. America responded immediately by labelling Al-Qaeda as a terrorist group and Osama Bin Laden as the most wanted terrorist. Nevertheless, counter-measures on terrorism reached a newer peak following September 11 attacks. On this fateful day, terrorists affiliated to the Al-Qaeda hijacked and crashed two airplanes into the World Trade Centre in New York. The third plane crashed in Pentagon in Washington DC. The vulnerability of American to terrorism became evident and the government has ever since intensified its efforts in fighting terrorism globally (Lusted, 2011). Terrorism, according to U.S. State Department, is defined as premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against non-combatant targets by particular groups or individuals, usually with an aim of commanding influence or expressing grievances. Essentially, terrorism is classified into either international or domestic terrorism. International terrorism, which forms the focus of this research work, is that which involves citizens or territory of more than one country. On the other hand, domestic terrorism are normally carried out by citizens of a particular county within the borders of the same country (White, 2011). Terrorism is greatly linked to Islamic extremists especially those from the Middle East. It is largely believed that the emergence of terror attacks targeting U.S. has been motivated by five major decisions Washington has progressively implemented. For instance, following the end of World War II in 1945, United States decided to extend its influence into Middle East with a deliberate intention of preventing Soviet Union from gaining a foothold in the oil rich region. To accomplish this, U.S. entered into agreements which included military protection with ultra-conservative monarchies in exchange of oil reserves. Consequently, leadership in this region has perennially remained undemocratic alienating the masses further from the government. This has further triggered Islamic resistance against the American domination and undemocratic rule (Jackson, 2006). Secondly, Washington’s decision to support Israel to the detriment of Palestine contributed immensely to the creation of Arab and Islam antipathy towards U.S. This factor became much evident in 1967 when Israel invaded and occupied large swaths of Palestinian territory. Up to date, Israel and Palestinians are at war over this contentious territory. The third reason that probably contributed to 9/11 was involvement of U.S. army in the Afghanistan civil war that erupted in 1978. Unpopularity of United States within the Arabic regimes worsened following the sanctions that U.S. government imposed against the people of Iraq in 1991. This decision preceded the gulf War and more than 1.5 Iraqis died following dozen years of U.S. sanctions. Lastly, the move by U.S. to forcefully employ its Military in Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks triggered radical sentiments in most of the Arabic states. Understanding the root causes of terrorist attacks targeting United States and to a larger extent the entire globe offers the best framework to addressing the challenges. Principally, the radical Islamic views against U.S. is a product of the United States’ foreign policies and foreign interests. In an effort to maintain its global dominance, U.S. has been forced to directly or indirectly intervene in the governance of Middle Eastern nations. For instance, Bush government bears a plethora of criticism following its choice to invade Iraq. Similarly, the move to send thousands of military personnel in Afghanistan has simply alienated the US from Arabian nations. Consequently, extremist Islamic groups such as Al-Qaeda and Jihadist have resorted to carry out revenge attacks on the citizens of the United States. All this is in a bid to force Washington to reverse its foreign policies as well as reduce its influence in the Middle East (Gates, 2008). Regardless of the legitimacy of terrorists’ grievances, terrorism remains a criminal activity that should not be tolerated at any cost. According to the U.S. national security strategy, it is factual that the interests of U.S. takes pre-eminence in decisions surrounding both the homeland and international security (United States of America, 2013). The first step in resolving the challenge of terrorism is by knowing the enemy. The Obama administration has rolled out a counter-terrorism measure by first identifying and labelling all organizations operating or having affiliations with terrorist organizations. For a couple of years now, Al-Qaeda has infamously been known as a terrorist groups. Several other groups across the world having affiliations to radical sentiments have also been identified. For instance, MUJAO and Ansar al Dine groups operating in West Africa have in the recent years joined the ranks of Al-Qaeda in U.S. designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations. The recognition of the lethality of these groups serves as a warning to the public and prospective adherents. Public labelling terrorist organization acts as a deterrent to people who could have otherwise joined the organization (Winkler, 2006). Another solution that United States can employ to fight terrorism is by joining international organization in the war against terror. For considerable time, United States has been acting as a sole player in countering the activities of the terrorist. This move has contributed significantly to radical sentiments directed towards United States by mostly the Islamic adherents. Consequently, instead of posing as the only country that is determined to end acts of terror, United States roll out its foreign policies against terror through organization such as terror. The joint NATO operation in Libya offers the best case in point of how effective multinational organizations can be in fighting terror. This strategy can also be rolled out by reinforcing regional abilities to counter the dangers that are posed by terrorist organizations (Laurent, 2008). For example, instead of U.S. directly involving its military in operations to flush out these illegal organization, the government can collaborate or rather partner with its key allies in the regions affected by proving the technical and intelligence support. Cases in point of this strategy is the move by U.S. to support operation “Linda Nchi” carried out by Kenyan military against Al-Shaabab operating in Somalia. In addition, indirectly supporting French intervention in Malian crisis is a laudable move. In conclusion, terrorism stands out as one of the greatest threat to U.S. homeland security. The situation is further complicated by the recent proliferation of nuclear weapons and the fears of these organization accessing these weapons. Therefore, it is imperative for the government to employ both diplomatic and tactical moves in countering the activities of terrorist organizations. Washington has the obligation to recognize the need to engage Arabic nations in talks aimed at resolving historical conflicts. References Simons, A. et al. (2007).The Sovereignty Solution; a commonsense approach to global security. New York, NY: Naval Press. United States of America (2013). National Security Strategy. Washington, DC: Government Press. Gates, R.M. (2008). National Defense Strategy, (Washington, DC: The Pentagon, June 2008), 18. White, J.R. (2011). Terrorism and homeland security. New York, NY: Cengage Learning. Jackson, R. (2006). Religion, Politics and Terrorism: A Critical Analysis of Narratives of “Islamic Terrorism” Centre for International Politics Working Paper Series No. 21, October 2006 Laurent, J. (2008). Homeland Security: Enhanced National Guard Readiness for Civil Support Missions May Depend on DoD's Implementation of the 2008 Nat. Defense Authorization Act. Texas, TX: DIANE Publishing. Lusted, M.A. (2011). The Capture and Killing of Osama Bin Laden. New York, NY: ABDO. Winkler, C. (2006). In the Name of Terrorism: Presidents on Political Violence in the Post-World War II Era, Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2006, pp. 11-16. Read More