The War On TerrorismEssay Preview: The War On TerrorismReport this essayWar on TerrorismTerrorism takes on many forms and has had an impact on the lives of many, both domestically and internationally in one way or another. Although the calamity and misfortune of September 11, 2001 took place in America, fundamentally the threat posed by “international terrorism” falls upon those in all countries, either by account of close proximity or devoted alliance, and those nations will forever recall this event, registering it without end in their reflection on the battle against terrorism.
After Sept. 11, America turned to tough talk and decisive action as President W. Bush threw down a foreign policy gauntlet that struck out to eliminate the threats that became far too real on that day: The US would make no distinction between terrorists and those who harbor them. The “War on Terror” became his quest and he laid out a declaration to systematically rid the world of the terrorist enemies to America and her friends and strategic allies. That point has become the backbone of the war on terrorism.
It is a definitive policy that requires a definitive answer to the question; what is terrorism? Consensus has been elusive because of the many forms terrorism takes. It is hard to clearly identify its character, but given the United States governments pledge to wage a war against terrorism which is now assisted by other nations, it is important to make a valid attempt look at its definitions. In its broadest sense the Department of Homeland Security website explains that “terrorism can be thought of as the use or threatened use of force against civilians designed to bring about political or social change”.
The definition adds that a goal of terrorism can be “inculcating fear” (thus the psychological dimension) and “immobilize people”, while the State Department is more elaborate, specifying that terrorism may include the use of biological, chemical or nuclear devices as well as the act of “assassination.” With this assumption the majority of all people find terrorism as being an irrational act (especially suicide terrorism).
TerroristsTerrorism became more transitional with the ease of migration, especially owing to the liberalization of immigration laws and policies in many countries, is aiding the growth of international terrorist networks. Terrorists typically blend into, and recruit among, co-ethnic immigrant communities.
The information revolution has also assisted terrorists to become more transnational. During the last twenty years, new terrorist groups have sprung up all over the world. They use the Internet and their own websites to spread their message, recruit new members, communicate quickly and reliably, and plan operations. Al-Qaeda was proficient enough to conduct major and sophisticated operations worldwide, using modern communications to direct terrorist attacks thousands of miles away.
Metaphor of TerrorThe spectacular nature and very high casualty toll of the plane crashes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon may accelerate the trend toward deadlier attacks. Future terrorists may believe that they must make a bigger physical impact to achieve the desired psychological effect.
Terrorism is laden with subtle and not so subtle traps. More than the political embarrassment from incidents in which terrorists are able to flaunt there success in the face of the worlds most powerful nation with the use of media attention, terrorism can turn truly ugly overnight and the shock of another disaster like the World trade Centers and Pentagon can seem pale in comparison with nuclear, chemical, and biological acts of mass destruction.
We must be particularly concerned that groups like these will seek and obtain weapons of mass destruction, including biological weapons such as anthrax. In fact, terrorist groups worldwide have ready access to information on biological, chemical, and even nuclear weapons via the Internet. Governments have had little success in their attempts to resolve issues in which terrorism is used.
Preparedness(Baker, Kevin) “The Cold War finally forced a change in our national attitude toward preparedness. We have certainly maintained a bigger, more capable, more professional standing military than the nation ever did before”. The attacks on September 11, 2001, forced NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) to change their focal point that fateful day. The eyes and ears of NORAD were focused on aerospace threats from sources far away from the shores of Canada and the United States. The focal point was not terrorism in our domestic airspace. The focus on aerospace threats from outside the borders of Canada and the United States now includes domestic airspace.
The effects of the attacks on the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon have caused the United States to enter into a period in which serious choices need to be made in safeguarding citizens against those who wish to do harm to the nation. As varied are the forms terrorism has, both domestic and international terrorists seek to use of a large variety of weapons that include biological, chemical, nuclear and conventional weapons including self-made bombs.
The threats posed by these groups necessitate the U.S. government to plan for the detection, neutralization, and clean-up of these attacks. To assist our nation for this domestic preparedness, The National Strategy for Homeland Security and the Homeland Security Act of 2002 served to mobilize and organize our nation to secure the homeland from terrorist attacks.
(Hansen, Amy) The premise is that Homeland Security provides the best method of preparedness because it provides the response instruction, training material, curriculum, and presentation to be tailored to citizens, private industry, and all forms of local Government needs. Preparation for attack begins at the local level in the view of the federal government. Presently, the United States is spending billions to train police, fire, and medical personnel in cities with populations of more than 144,000 people to cope with biological and chemical attacks. The federal government sees these local officials as the people who are the first responders to incidents of terrorism. They are trained so that they can quickly identify the symptoms of chemical or biological attack and work to neutralize it through quarantine of the infected or disabling a device. This comprehensive
The Homeland Security® Institute program was one of the first and best-funded to provide emergency response training to government responders to help local authorities respond properly to outbreaks.
Prior to the introduction of the Homeland Security® Institute program, there was a massive amount of information about how our most vulnerable families respond to any threat. But we never received that information before. Today, people rely on DHS only to do their best to prevent, respond to, and provide help to their loved ones.
While the DHS is working to improve all aspects of American response to the threat of Ebola, the American people of all ethnic, religious, and nationalities are paying the price for not being prepared for this, our government has never done its job and we cannot afford to let that continue.
After three years of operation, we have received support for a number of local projects. Many of these efforts have been on a budget of $15,000 billion and have already been funded.
One of the key areas I think the DHS needs the most is developing training and providing resources for citizens in this country to help them prepare and respond to an attack.
Since last year, I have worked tirelessly to make the Homeland Security Corps Program for Local Assistance (LACSA) the nation’s largest and fastest-growing agency. During the Obama years, LACSA has conducted millions of cases every year over two years and has the capability to quickly recover, defend, and respond to emergencies. With the increased funding we provide as well as DHS’s ability to prepare and respond, the DHS has the capability to quickly and effectively respond to a mass death or serious injury. I want to thank DHS for making this possible.
Each of our local government organizations already exists to provide the national response. There have been several of us. But DHS has helped to create the LACSA program that is now providing a comprehensive response to an Ebola outbreak that has left people in Liberia, Nigeria, and elsewhere with no alternative to travel and even more limited access to resources.
The national response to an Ebola outbreak has been in the form of training professionals in the field who have the same broad experience as our community’s professional responders. And I want Americans to know that this is the same community service we have for other countries who face similar challenges.
The U.S. has long relied on the federal government to train responders to respond to outbreaks. Without our strong emergency response system, we would not be where we are today and we will not be on the path toward success we are building.
Hear the full segment of this briefing with ABC News’ David Muir in Washington, D.C. Click video for more. pic.twitter.com/6xL4Zgj6U7