War on Terror — Global Issues

Response to the September 11, 2001 occasions

With disbelief and shock all over the world folks noticed the information footage of the occasions on September 11, 2001 when the planes-turned-missiles slammed into the World Commerce Heart towers and into the Pentagon. What might be the worst terrorist assault on america, was completely inexcusable and roundly condemned.

Some 3000 had been killed. Preliminary fears had been that it was over 6000 A lot of components for this revised quantity, had been mentioned to incorporate preliminary overestimates; a couple of particular person reporting the identical lacking particular person; heroic rescue operations, and so forth. This decrease quantity doesn’t in any manner cut back the impression although.)

The following 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, based on an impartial research launched at the start of December 2001.

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

Hatred and anti-Islam sentiment, (with out distinguishing the despotic militants from unusual Muslims) elevated, though many of the Muslim communities all over the world condemned this act.

Whereas seen efforts had been seen by politicians to attempt to separate terrorists from Muslims on the whole, it has not been simple. On the one hand, after years of financial and geopolitical historical past, there are some points of mistrust, whereas however, 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 ultimately resembled Taliban/Al Qaeda members had been focused. Others noticed this as proof that Islam is inherently violent or that it’s the main risk to the remainder of the world, and so forth. On the Muslim aspect, there have additionally been equally excessive reactions, from help of those terrorist acts to even being satisfied that this was some type of Zionist conspiracy responsible Muslims! In each instances these appear to be a minority of individuals with such excessive views however in fact the priority is all the time that it’ll improve over time.

There was no query that there was going to be some type of retaliation and response from america. One couldn’t have anticipated them severely to chorus from eager to take revenge. But the concern was in what kind this revenge can be and the way it will be carried out in addition to what the impression on unusual Afghans can be, who’ve already suffered by the hands of the Taliban and outdoors forces for years.

As well as, some eight months after the assaults it was revealed within the mainstream press all over the world that the CIA had warned George Bush of the threats weeks earlier than September 11. This triggered an uproar in lots of locations, together with america Congress, the place members demanded extra info to know if all these deaths might have been prevented.

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Ensuing Conflict 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 warfare on terror which noticed help for Bush and his reputation soar on the time.

As much as September 11, 2001, the Bush administration was being criticized all over the world for its stances on varied points domestically and internationally. Even European and different allies had been very important of positions on quite a few world points.

However 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 types of points, starting from financial/globalization points which have deepened poverty and/or inequality for most individuals all over the world; geopolitics/arms/missile protection; environmental points and so forth. Protests both instantly, or not directly at U.S. insurance policies have occurred all all over the world—particularly on globalization points—as talked about on this site. (See the part on world protests for extra on that, for instance).

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

Nevertheless, behind the unity of the American folks within the shock of September 11, a heightened sense of safety resulted with considerations reverberating all through the world. Many had been involved in regards to the ensuing crackdown of freedoms and civil liberties in varied nations. Many frightened that varied nations all over the world would additionally use this warfare on terror as an excuse to pursue extra aggressive choices on their very own residents.

For instance, think about the considerations Amnesty Worldwide raised in October 2001, shortly after the September 11, 2001 assaults: Within the title of preventing 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 accountability to make sure the protection of their residents, however measures taken should not undermine basic human rights requirements. It seems that a few of the initiatives presently being mentioned or applied could also be used to curb primary human rights and to suppress inner opposition. A few of the definitions of terrorism beneath dialogue are so broad that they may very well be used to criminalize anybody out of favor with these in energy and criminalize respectable peaceable train of the suitable to freedom of expression and affiliation. They may additionally put in danger the suitable to privateness and threaten the rights of minorities and asylum-seekers.

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

Even within the U.S. a few of the ensuing insurance policies on how suspects will probably be handled, on how entry to non-public info will probably be made obtainable for safety considerations and so forth, led to debates in any respect ranges on what is taken into account an assault on civil liberties, and what’s cheap for safety. On the overseas coverage enviornment, there was rising concern that the U.S. would have the ability to use the warfare on terror to pursue aggressive insurance policies that had been beforehand criticized by many different folks. This will vary from financial, to political and even army insurance policies. The Iraq warfare was one such instance, the place amongst different issues, the priority of terrorism was used to justify a warfare towards Iraq, though the terrorism hyperlinks weren’t actual.

Additionally of significance, with its unfastened definition of terror, there may be concern that the warfare on terror , may also have an effect on all these working actually for peace and social justice for all, as even they’ll come beneath scrutiny for maybe appropriately criticizing insurance policies of any variety of nations and organizations all over the world, together with these from the West.

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

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Mainstream Media

Whereas residents in every single place, particularly Individuals, had been rightly outraged on the assaults, the mainstream media has largely focused on the consequences, the assorted aftermaths and impacts, and reporting what political leaders are doing, saying or not doing, or not saying, and so forth. They’ve additionally reported immense element on a few of the points of the particular bombing in Afghanistan, and so forth. As with most different conflicts in latest historical past although, whereas monumental in amount, media reporting seems comparatively missing in depth, historic context, and investigative evaluation on the causes that gas 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 points is certainly very shifting and excellent. There’s, nonetheless, applicable criticism of some extremism creeping into some points of the mainstream media as properly, in sure circumstances. Importantly although, our vary of views can also be affected by the vary of discourse. That is particularly related now, as residents search solutions on how and why such a horrible atrocity may very well be dedicated. (For extra on the protection of the media, with evaluation and critique of the mainstream media itself, see this site’s part: Conflict 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 folks and societies all over the world have suffered in different conditions. With typically worse outcomes, albeit not so sudden and stunning, 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 checklist right here.

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

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

But, how does one get out of this vicious circle? In fact it isn’t simple, and even lots of the peace motion wrestle on this reply, however maybe if extra voice was given within the media to those broader views, then various ideas may very well be thought of. True, extra on peace-related 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 restricted to the present actions and choices. The discussions are subsequently inside these confines, principally.

On the overseas coverage entrance, even latest historical past of the final 50 years or so has been questionable by each Western leaders and Center Jap leaders. For instance, the help by the west of brutal leaders within the center east has contributed to an extremist backlash. Of their struggle to get the Soviet Union out of Afghanistan, Osama Bin Laden himself, in addition to different jihadists, had been supported by the US, encouraging the coaching of jihadists and the rise of miltantism to provoke opposition to the communists. Because the article within the earlier hyperlink implies, whereas plainly the lesser of two evils was supported, maybe the long run penalties weren’t absolutely explored and it does appear that violence and concern breeds extra violence and concern.

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President Bush shedding the warfare on terror

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Further articles and hyperlinks

On quite a few fronts there are lots of, many issues happening which readers have requested me to write down on. It’s tough to maintain up with all of the angles with the view to write down on all of them. In consequence, for now, till I’m able to catch up, included under, beneath this part on the warfare on terrorism are articles reposted from different web pages and authors from all over the world that supply a wide range of deeper and wider views and views. They’re broadly categorized into the sections listed under, though many articles can simply match different classes too.

Additionally, within the Extra Data web page is a rising assortment of hyperlinks and sources to different web pages that supply deeper views.

I don’t essentially agree with all the views of all of the hyperlinks and sources supplied, and on no account are they a complete checklist, reasonably an instance.

A few of the extra mainstream sources focus rather more on the consequences and aftermaths, whereas a few of the different sources additionally provide deeper evaluation on causes in addition to ramifications all over the world. These websites have extra hyperlinks which you can comply with to different web pages. Extra websites will probably be added as time goes on.

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