War on Terror — Global Issues

Reaction to the September 11, 2001 occasions

With disbelief and shock world wide individuals noticed the information footage of the occasions on September 11, 2001 when the planes-turned-missiles slammed into the World Trade Center towers and into the Pentagon. What might be the worst terrorist assault on the United States, was completely inexcusable and roundly condemned.

Some 3000 have been killed. Initial fears have been that it was over 6000 A variety of components for this revised quantity, have been mentioned to incorporate preliminary overestimates; a couple of individual reporting the identical lacking individual; heroic rescue operations, and so on. This decrease quantity doesn’t in any manner scale back the affect although.)

The subsequent bombing of Afghanistan to assault Osama Bin Laden’s Al Qaeda terrorist community and the Taliban for harboring them has additionally led to some 3,500 civilian deaths, in keeping with an unbiased research launched at the start of December 2001.

The ghastly terrorist assaults led to a mix of political, social and financial response world wide.

Hatred and anti-Islam sentiment, (with out distinguishing the despotic militants from atypical Muslims) elevated, though a lot of the Muslim communities world wide condemned this act.

While seen efforts have been seen by politicians to attempt to separate terrorists from Muslims generally, it has not been straightforward. On the one hand, after years of financial and geopolitical historical past, there are some facets of mistrust, whereas then again, extremists within the Muslim and Christian communities are including to the antagonisms. For instance, through the top of the shock and anger to the September 11 assaults, extremist tendencies within the West resulted in beatings and even killings of Muslims. Even non-Muslims that simply occurred to have lengthy beards or in a roundabout way resembled Taliban/Al Qaeda members have been focused. Others noticed this as proof that Islam is inherently violent or that it’s the major menace to the remainder of the world, and so on. On the Muslim facet, there have additionally been equally excessive reactions, from help of those terrorist acts to even being satisfied that this was some kind of Zionist conspiracy responsible Muslims! In each circumstances these appear to be a minority of individuals with such excessive views however in fact the priority is at all times that it’ll improve over time.

There was no query that there was going to be some kind of retaliation and response from the United States. One couldn’t have anticipated them severely to chorus from desirous to take revenge. Yet the worry was in what kind this revenge could be and the way it might be carried out in addition to what the affect on atypical Afghans could be, who’ve already suffered by the hands of the Taliban and outdoors forces for years.

In addition, some eight months after the assaults it was revealed within the mainstream press world wide that the CIA had warned George Bush of the threats weeks earlier than September 11. This prompted an uproar in lots of locations, together with the United States Congress, the place members demanded extra info to grasp if all these deaths may have been prevented.

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Resulting War on Terror

The horrible occasions of September 11 noticed the appreciable quieting of what was till then rising home and worldwide criticism of the Bush Administration. The September 11 occasions resulted in a struggle on terror which noticed help for Bush and his reputation soar on the time.

Up to September 11, 2001, the Bush administration was being criticized world wide for its stances on varied points domestically and internationally. Even European and different allies have been very essential of positions on quite a few world points.

But even earlier than the Bush Administration, all through the world, many countries and teams of individuals had expressed their frustrations at how U.S. overseas insurance policies had affected them on all kinds of points, starting from financial/globalization points which have deepened poverty and/or inequality for most individuals world wide; geopolitics/arms/missile protection; environmental points and so forth. Protests both instantly, or not directly at U.S. insurance policies have occurred all world wide—particularly on globalization points—as talked about on this website online. (See the part on world protests for extra on that, for instance).

Yet that can’t be an excuse for the atrocity of September 11 because it killed many harmless individuals. At the identical time, individuals have accurately identified that when different areas world wide have confronted related terrorist assaults, the outpouring of concern and condemnation has not been as a lot. The Washington Post (September 12, 2001) even dared to confess this at such a delicate time shortly after the assaults. (Their article is not on-line.)

However, behind the unity of the American individuals within the shock of September 11, a heightened sense of safety resulted with issues reverberating all through the world. Many have been involved in regards to the ensuing crackdown of freedoms and civil liberties in varied nations. Many fearful that varied international locations world wide would additionally use this struggle on terror as an excuse to pursue extra aggressive choices on their very own residents.

For instance, take into account the issues Amnesty International raised in October 2001, shortly after the September 11, 2001 assaults: In the title of combating worldwide terrorism, governments have rushed to introduce draconian new measures that threaten the human rights of their very own residents, immigrants and refugees…. Governments have a duty to make sure the protection of their residents, however measures taken should not undermine elementary human rights requirements. It seems that a number of the initiatives presently being mentioned or applied could also be used to curb fundamental human rights and to suppress inner opposition. Some of the definitions of terrorism underneath dialogue are so broad that they could possibly be used to criminalize anybody out of favor with these in energy and criminalize reputable peaceable train of the proper to freedom of expression and affiliation. They may additionally put in danger the proper to privateness and threaten the rights of minorities and asylum-seekers.

In May 2003, Amnesty International charged, The struggle on terror, removed from making the world a safer place, has made it extra harmful by curbing human rights, undermining the rule of worldwide legislation and shielding governments from scrutiny. It has deepened divisions amongst individuals of various faiths and origins, sowing the seeds for extra battle. The overwhelming affect of all that is real worry—among the many prosperous in addition to the poor.

Even within the U.S. a number of the ensuing insurance policies on how suspects will likely be handled, on how entry to private info will likely be made obtainable for safety issues and so forth, led to debates in any respect ranges on what is taken into account an assault on civil liberties, and what’s affordable for safety. On the overseas coverage area, there was growing concern that the U.S. would be capable to use the struggle on terror to pursue aggressive insurance policies that have been beforehand criticized by many different individuals. This can vary from financial, to political and even army insurance policies. The Iraq struggle was one such instance, the place amongst different issues, the priority of terrorism was used to justify a struggle in opposition to Iraq, though the terrorism hyperlinks weren’t actual.

Also of significance, with its free definition of terror, there’s concern that the struggle on terror , may even have an effect on all these working actually for peace and social justice for all, as even they are going to come underneath scrutiny for maybe appropriately criticizing insurance policies of any variety of nations and organizations world wide, together with these from the West.

The struggle on terror has in some respects, led to what has been described as a struggle on freedom.

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Mainstream Media

While residents all over the place, particularly Americans, have been rightly outraged on the assaults, the mainstream media has largely targeting the consequences, the varied aftermaths and impacts, and reporting what political leaders are doing, saying or not doing, or not saying, and so on. They have additionally reported immense element on a number of the facets of the particular bombing in Afghanistan, and so on. As with most different conflicts in current historical past although, whereas monumental in amount, media reporting seems comparatively missing in depth, historic context, and investigative evaluation on the causes that gasoline such outrageous militant extremism and terrorism.

The so-called vary of discourse then, is sort of slender, however inside it, protection is sort of detailed. The reporting of some facets is certainly very shifting and superb. There is, nonetheless, acceptable criticism of some extremism creeping into some facets of the mainstream media as effectively, in sure circumstances. Importantly although, our vary of views can also be affected by the vary of discourse. This is very related now, as residents search solutions on how and why such a horrible atrocity could possibly be dedicated. (For extra on the protection of the media, with evaluation and critique of the mainstream media itself, see this website online’s part: War on Terror Mainstream Media and Propaganda)

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Will violence result in extra violence?

With all of the vivid imagery, we will solely now start to think about how different individuals and societies world wide have suffered in different conditions. With typically worse outcomes, albeit not so sudden and surprising, complete cities/areas have been leveled and/or monumental quantity of life has been misplaced in locations like Kosovo, Iraq, Democratic Republic of Congo, East Timor, Hiroshima/Nagasaki, throughout Europe through the World Wars, and too many different locations to have the ability to listing right here.

With the US-led bombing marketing campaign on Afghanistan, there has at all times been increasingly more concern about civilians being caught within the center. Indeed, by early December 2001, some 3,500 Afghan civilians have been believed to have been killed by U.S. bombing. Furthermore, many assist businesses criticized the meals drops for not delivering a lot precise assist and being a token gesture, quite than an efficient one.

Perhaps one of many greatest fears, voiced earlier than the retaliation began, is that retaliated violence may end in extra retaliated violence and we danger tit-for-tat violence that appears onerous to get out of. In all this, civilians on all sides will at all times be affected. We solely want remind ourselves of that shuddering speech by Osama Bin Laden on his threats of retaliation in opposition to civilians and of varied hawkish politicians within the West asking for the equal of no mercy. Martin Luther King is value quoting:

Yet, how does one get out of this vicious circle? Of course it’s not straightforward, and even loads of the peace motion battle on this reply, however maybe if extra voice was given within the media to those broader views, then different ideas could possibly be thought-about. True, extra on peace-related alternate options are mentioned in TV boards and debates, however in the case of the precise reporting and one-on-one dialogue and evaluation, the context is proscribed to the present actions and choices. The discussions are subsequently inside these confines, largely.

On the overseas coverage entrance, even current historical past of the final 50 years or so has been questionable by each Western leaders and Middle Eastern leaders. For instance, the help by the west of brutal leaders within the center east has contributed to an extremist backlash. In their battle to get the Soviet Union out of Afghanistan, Osama Bin Laden himself, in addition to different jihadists, have been supported by the US, encouraging the coaching of jihadists and the rise of miltantism to impress opposition to the communists. As the article within the earlier hyperlink implies, whereas it appears that evidently the lesser of two evils was supported, maybe the long run penalties weren’t totally explored and it does appear that violence and worry breeds extra violence and worry.

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President Bush shedding the struggle on terror

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Additional articles and hyperlinks

On quite a few fronts there are various, many issues occurring which readers have requested me to put in writing on. It is tough to maintain up with all of the angles with the view to put in writing on all of them. As a outcome, for now, till I’m able to catch up, included beneath, underneath this part on the struggle on terrorism are articles reposted from different internet sites and authors from world wide that provide a wide range of deeper and wider views and views. They are broadly categorized into the sections listed beneath, though many articles can simply match different classes too.

Also, within the More Information web page is a rising assortment of hyperlinks and sources to different internet sites that provide deeper views.

I don’t essentially agree with the entire views of all of the hyperlinks and sources offered, and in no way are they a complete listing, quite an instance.

Some of the extra mainstream sources focus rather more on the consequences and aftermaths, whereas a number of the different sources additionally provide deeper evaluation on causes in addition to ramifications world wide. These websites have extra hyperlinks that you could observe to different internet sites. More websites will likely be added as time goes on.

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