Battle on Terror — International Points

Response to the September 11, 2001 occasions

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

Some 3000 had been killed. Preliminary fears had been that it was over 6000 Quite a lot of elements for this revised quantity, had been stated to incorporate preliminary overestimates; multiple particular person reporting the identical lacking particular person; heroic rescue operations, and many others. This decrease quantity doesn’t in any means scale back the affect 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, in line with an unbiased examine launched firstly 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 strange Muslims) elevated, though many of the Muslim communities world wide condemned this act.

Whereas seen efforts had been seen by politicians to attempt to separate terrorists from Muslims typically, it has not been straightforward. On the one hand, after years of financial and geopolitical historical past, there are some features of mistrust, whereas however, extremists within the Muslim and Christian communities are including to the antagonisms. For instance, in the course of 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 major risk to the remainder of the world, and many others. On the Muslim facet, there have additionally been equally excessive reactions, from assist of those terrorist acts to even being satisfied that this was some form of Zionist conspiracy in charge Muslims! In each instances these appear to be a minority of individuals with such excessive views however after all the priority is all the time that it’s going to improve over time.

There was no query that there was going to be some form of retaliation and response from the US. One couldn’t have anticipated them critically to chorus from eager to take revenge. But the concern was in what type this revenge can be and the way it could be carried out in addition to what the affect on strange 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 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 US Congress, the place members demanded extra info to know if all these deaths might have been prevented.

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Ensuing Battle 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 conflict on terror which noticed assist for Bush and his reputation soar on the time.

As much as 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 had been very essential 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 world wide; geopolitics/arms/missile protection; environmental points and so forth. Protests both straight, or not directly at U.S. insurance policies have occurred all world wide—particularly on globalization points—as talked about on this website. (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 appropriately identified that when different areas world wide 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 now not on-line.)

Nonetheless, 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 anxious that varied international locations world wide would additionally use this conflict on terror as an excuse to pursue extra aggressive choices on their very own residents.

For instance, take into account the considerations Amnesty Worldwide raised in October 2001, shortly after the September 11, 2001 assaults: Within 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 basic human rights requirements. It seems that a few of the initiatives at the moment being mentioned or carried out could also be used to curb fundamental human rights and to suppress inner opposition. A number of the definitions of terrorism beneath dialogue are so broad that they might be used to criminalize anybody out of favor with these in energy and criminalize official peaceable train of the precise to freedom of expression and affiliation. They may additionally put in danger the precise to privateness and threaten the rights of minorities and asylum-seekers.

In Might 2003, Amnesty Worldwide charged, The conflict 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 affect 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 might be handled, on how entry to private info might be made accessible 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 affordable for safety. On the overseas coverage area, there was rising concern that the U.S. would have the ability to use the conflict on terror to pursue aggressive insurance policies that had been beforehand criticized by many different folks. This may vary from financial, to political and even army insurance policies. The Iraq conflict was one such instance, the place amongst different issues, the priority of terrorism was used to justify a conflict in opposition to Iraq, though the terrorism hyperlinks weren’t actual.

Additionally of significance, with its unfastened definition of terror, there’s concern that the conflict on terror , will even 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 world wide, together with these from the West.

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

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Mainstream Media

Whereas residents in all places, particularly People, had been rightly outraged on the assaults, the mainstream media has largely focused on the consequences, the varied aftermaths and impacts, and reporting what political leaders are doing, saying or not doing, or not saying, and many others. They’ve additionally reported immense element on a few of the features of the particular bombing in Afghanistan, and many others. As with most different conflicts in latest historical past although, whereas huge 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 kind of slender, however inside it, protection is kind of detailed. The reporting of some features is certainly very shifting and superb. There may be, nevertheless, acceptable criticism of some extremism creeping into some features of the mainstream media as effectively, in sure circumstances. Importantly although, our vary of views can be affected by the vary of discourse. That is particularly related now, as residents search solutions on how and why such a horrible atrocity might be dedicated. (For extra on the protection of the media, with evaluation and critique of the mainstream media itself, see this website’s part: Battle on Terror Mainstream Media and Propaganda)

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Will violence result in extra violence?

With all of the vivid imagery, we are able to solely now start to think about how different folks and societies world wide have suffered in different conditions. With usually worse outcomes, albeit not so sudden and surprising, total cities/areas have been leveled and/or huge quantity of life has been misplaced in locations like Kosovo, Iraq, Democratic Republic of Congo, East Timor, Hiroshima/Nagasaki, throughout Europe in the course of 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 support businesses criticized the meals drops for not delivering a lot precise support and being a token gesture, moderately than an efficient one.

Maybe one of many largest fears, voiced earlier than the retaliation began, is that retaliated violence might lead to extra retaliated violence and we threat tit-for-tat violence that appears onerous 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 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:

But, how does one get out of this vicious circle? After all it’s not straightforward, and even a variety 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 might be thought of. True, extra on peace-related options are mentioned in TV boards and debates, however with regards to 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, 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 Japanese leaders. For instance, the assist by the west of brutal leaders within the center east has contributed to an extremist backlash. Of their combat 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 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 concern breeds extra violence and concern.

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President Bush dropping the conflict on terror

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Extra articles and hyperlinks

On quite a few fronts there are various, many issues happening which readers have requested me to write down on. It’s troublesome to maintain up with all of the angles with the view to write down on all of them. Because of this, for now, till I’m able to catch up, included under, beneath this part on the conflict on terrorism are articles reposted from different internet sites and authors from world wide that supply quite a lot 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 internet sites that supply deeper views.

I don’t essentially agree with the entire views of all of the hyperlinks and sources offered, and certainly not are they a complete checklist, moderately an instance.

A number of the extra mainstream sources focus far more on the consequences and aftermaths, whereas a few of the different sources additionally provide deeper evaluation on causes in addition to ramifications world wide. These websites have extra hyperlinks that you would be able to comply with to different internet sites. Extra websites might be added as time goes on.

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