...trade had far reaching effects on American foreign policy. Several changes occurred and a new general priority was created in national security. The entire American populace awoke to the fear of an amorphous enemy Al Qaeda, a terrorist group led by Osama Bin Laden which had declared war on the US by taking the battle to the very shores of America. Over 3000 people were killed when on the 11th of September 2001 two hijacked planes were flown into the he World Trade Centre destroying the twin towers, a third struck the pentagon building while the fourth heading for the White House was brought Down by its hostage passengers who courageously laid down their lives for the nation. The attacks were unprecedented considering the fact that The United States had been attacked before by terrorist. In 1993 the World Trade Centre was bombed, in 1988 US embassy bombing took place in Kenya and Tanzania and in and October 2000 the USS Cole Bombing took place in Yemen 1 just to mention a few. The attacks were considered an act of war and as such required decisive action which was clearly spelt out by President George W. Bush in his September 20th joint address to congress that same year. "Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated…And we will pursue nations that provide aid or safe haven to terrorism. Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make...
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...deteriorating condition offers diminishing hope for an American victory and portends risk of an even wider and more destructive regional war. These debacles are not attributable to individual failures, but rather to a crisis in an entire institution: America’s general officer corps. America’s generals have failed to prepare our armed forces for war and advise civilian authorities on the application of force to achieve the aims of policy. The argument that follows consists of three elements. First, generals have a responsibility to society to provide policymakers with a correct estimate of strategic probabilities. Second, America’s generals in Vietnam and Iraq failed to perform this responsibility. Third, remedying the crisis in American generalship requires the intervention of Congress. THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF GENERALSHIP Armies do not fight wars; nations fight wars. War is not a military activity conducted by soldiers, but rather a social activity that involves entire nations. Prussian military theorist Carl von Clausewitz noted that passion, probability and policy each play their role in war. Any understanding of war that ignores one of these elements is fundamentally flawed. The passion of the people is necessary to endure the sacrifices inherent in war. Regardless of the system of government, the people supply the blood and treasure required to prosecute war. The statesman must stir these passions to a level commensurate with the popular sacrifices required. When the ends of policy...
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...believed that strategy is derived from the nature of war. In the following parts, evidence would be mentioned to show how similar nature of war generates similar strategy, military tactics and consequence (Waldman, 2012). Nature of war Both Afghan and Iraq military campaign are war on terror. In September 20, 2001, George Bush, the U.S president, mentioned that the war on terror would start at Ai-Qaeda. War would end until all terrorist groups are found out and eliminated. He also said countries supporting terrorism would be punished. Bin Laden was the most wanted which was the leader of Ai-Qaeda (Barker, 2003). For the Afghan military campaign, it occurred because of September 11 attacks which caused more than 3000...
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...final project Student’s name Course Title Instructor Date submitted Is United States justified to adopt a first-strike policy against independent nations in war on terrorism? The attack on United States on September 2001 brought the truth and reality of terrorism to the land of America in a way that most people had not imagined. Over three thousand people lost their lives. With that several innocent lives lost, America and other friendly nations joined to condemn terrorism. United States accused Taliban government of Afghanistan of harboring perpetrators. The accusation led the United States to begin military operations in Afghanistan. Many nations accepted the military operations as a justifiable response. The Taliban became an easy target because they were sympathizers of terrorist. After a short successful military operations in Afghanistan, United States turned attention to Iraq. They began to build a case against the regime government of Saddam Hussein. The United States suggested that Iraq had also been supporting terrorist and developing nuclear weapons. It was after those inflammatory suggestions about Iraq that a different debate surrounding military operations in that country started to emerge. In September, 2002, American government published a document titled The National Security Strategy. The President, George Bush, pointed the enemy of twenty century as a shadowy network of individuals who were out to harm the society with inexpensive weapon made powerful...
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...Running head: IRAQ: OBAMA’S VISION Iraq: Obama’s Vision Sebastian Feary University of Phoenix RES 110 July 2, 2008 Iraq: Obama’s Vision Barack Obama has fulfilled his place in the history books as becoming the first African American male, in the presidential race, with a fighting chance to be the next President of the Untied States of America. His political position towards the situation in Iraq has many of the citizens of this country anxious for an irrefutable outcome. The plan to decrease the troop count in Iraq (BarackObama.com, 2008) has worn heavy on the nation for quite some time, nevertheless; Obama has a plan to do just that if he finds his way into the White House as the President. Obama knows that the United States government cannot impose a military solution in a civil war between neighboring religions without putting pressure on these warring parties. Beginning phased withdrawal of U.S. forces will be what is needed to put that pressure for these parties to find a political solution (Obama, B., 2007). The way the United States Congress views Obama’s Iraqi plan, and the circumstances of the possible effects these opinions have on American soldiers around the world, are important factors to take into account when understanding this contingency. Possible results of Obama’s strategies and referrals towards what should potentially take place, in regards to the soldiers in Iraq, also what could happen are just some of the issues Obama has been dealing with. Pulling...
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...The Good, the Bad and the Worst An Assessment of the U.S relations and policies in the Middle East Gold and silver where the elements of wealth during the peak of mercantilism as the sole policy back then was the 3G’s policy (God, Gold and Glory) in the reign of the British and French Empires. Oil, however, climbed to the top of the chart of the most strategic commodities starting the early years of industrialization passing by the Second World War, when the U.S. became by far the largest oil consuming nation; consuming oil at abundant rates to support their troops overseas and to maintain the high rate of consumerism of the American lifestyle in the homeland. Soon oil grabbed the attention of the top industrialist nations as the most critical element of their survival as super industrial economies to ensure their growing manufacturing base is supported by adequate oil supplies. Having almost two thirds of the oil reserve in the world, the Middle East became the center of attention for all industrial nations, some of which had more strategic plans than others. Both, Britain and the United States realized that their wealth and survival as super powers is so much correlated with their level of control and development of the Middle East oil-rich countries. However, the feasibility of running the Arabian states both politically and economically faded in the 20th century, since maintaining their administration was too expensive for the United Kingdom, and gradually started...
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...CHAPTER 3 - CAN TECHNOLOGY SAVE SOLDIERS' LIVES IN IRAQ? Few areas demonstrate the need for effective information systems more than warfare. Poor communication and inefficient systems don't just waste money; they put soldiers in harm's way and increase their risk of being injured or killed. Though the U.S. Army has made great technological strides in recent years, many of those new technologies have not translated to better safety and more accurate flow of information in the combat zone. Some of the struggles of the U.S. counterinsurgency effort in Iraq illustrate these weaknesses. The U.S. military went into the Iraq War with many technological advantages. These included data transmission capacity that was 42 times faster than what was available to U.S. forces during the Gulf War; a plethora of sensor technologies such as motion sensors, heat detectors, and reconnaissance eavesdroppers; and an advanced vehicle tracking system, Blue Force Tracker, which marks the location of U.S. units and enables e-mail communication. The technology available to the enemy forces pales in comparison. But despite these significant advantages in information gathering, the methods used by the military to communicate that information suffered from critical flaws. Information about enemy movements and troop levels did not reach the officers on the ground in many cases, despite the wealth of technology available. Why? First the technology itself was often less efficient than advertised. Units...
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...the value of goods produced per person in a country, and is calculated by dividing the countries GPD by the total number of people in the country (Web Finance, Inc. 1). In 2003 U.S. CIA intelligence had information that Saddam Hussein, an enemy of the United States and dictator of Iraq had legitimate programs to build weapons of mass destruction, and was planning to pass those weapons onto the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization. U.S. intelligence believed that Al-Qaeda would ultimately smuggle those weapons into the United States and violently murderer millions of Americans (Lobe 1). To prevent such an atrocity from occurring in the United States, former President George W. Bush decided that the only course of action against these murderous terrorists was to defeat them abroad before they could attack us at home (Bush 7). On March 18th, 2003 the United States launched operation Iraqi Freedom. The goal of this operation was to remove Saddam Hussein from power, prevent Al-Qaeda from obtaining weapons of mass destruction, and defeat Al-Qaeda (Bush 8). President Bush stated that the goal of Operation Iraqi Freedom was to defeat Al-Qaeda and protect the United States by creating a prosperous and democratic Iraq. If successful, Operation Iraqi Freedom could inspire millions across the Middle East to rise up against Al-Qaeda and other terrorist governments and demand freedom and democracy in their own countries....
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...Events in Iraq have prompted some people on the left to make comparisons to the American experience in the Vietnam War. These people argue that the United States has put itself into an in-extractable “quagmire” from which there is no feasible withdrawal. This type of reasoning by historical comparison is not wise because no two historical events are completely alike. In the case of Iraq and Vietnam, extreme caution should be exercised in comparing two wars so far apart in historical circumstances, geography, and time. It becomes pretty obvious that the differences between the two conflicts greatly outnumber the similarities. This is especially true in the strategic and military dimensions of the two wars. There is simply no comparison between the environment, the scale of military presence, losses incurred over time, the quality of enemy resistance, the role and scope of enemy allies, and the duration of open warfare style combat. There are, however, two political parts of the Iraq and Vietnam wars that are similar in nature: our attempts at nation-building in a foreign culture, and our trying to sustaining domestic popular support in a long and drawn out war against insurgents. Policymakers should have an understanding of the reasons for U.S. political failure in South Vietnam, as well as for the Johnson and Nixon administrations’ failure to sustain popular support for the accomplishment of U.S. military objectives in Vietnam. A repeat of those failures in Iraq could have...
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...War is a very broad term for writing. Under this word, everybody imagine black and white soldier with a gun in a dusty environment. My question is “why?”. Why is the basic question of all. Existence on earth, learning, reading, or why somebody listen one ear in and another ear out? Why do we have war? Why people argue?, fight?. Why do we have quarrels?, rivalry or racing? The answer is simple. Proving power is not really right move. Subjugation is the wrong way of showing the great powers or superpowers. Power should provide love and support, not a battle about who is better. When I asked my younger sister what is the war, she said, "Battles and shooters where people kills and dies." This way you also our ancestors proved and showed their "size". Dictators, leaders of fascism and nationalism did not just wake up one day and became dictators. These people started manifesting in early childhood. At the school in the form of bullying or vandalism, and if they do not have a steady hand above them, their "abilities" develop even further. Lack of attention or care from parents, despise, not enough friends- all of this bad examples play big role and they are benefits to become person like that. Maybe we should help people like that and not brushed them aside because they are different. They have their reason why they are different. In my essay I would like to compare two wars, World War II and Iraq war. What are the differences and what are the similarities? World War II Starting...
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...U.S. Involvement in the War on Terror The War on Terror is tough to define. It is considered a war, but not in the traditional sense. When one thinks of war they think of enemies, a battlefield, weapons, and death. However, the war on terror is slightly different. The lines that define enemies and allies are blurred, there is no battlefield, and the weapons come in all shapes and sizes. Nonetheless, there has still been death. Starting on September 11, 2001, the War on Terror has been waged for many years and has included many groups of people. On September 11, 2001, hijacked planes crashed in to the World Trade Center in New York City. Known as the Twin Towers, the World Trade Center is symbolic of the United State’s “economic power and military might” (Rahman). Immediately following the attacks, President Bush named Osama Bin Laden at fault and declared the War Against Terrorism. United States Congress had allocated billions of dollars and authorized President Bush to take any measures necessary (Moore). This war, however, is different from a typical war. President Bush told people to “go about their daily lives” unlike during World War II where 90% of Americans helped the war effort in some way. The war on terror is a war “without boundaries…directed against multiple enemies, not just one adversary” (Raz). The United States government has defined the war on terrorism against those who are declared “terrorists” or anyone accused of “harboring terrorists” (Rahman). ...
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...Name: Course Name: College: Lecturer: Date: Frontline Introduction and Background The Bush Wars hold a significant place in the lives of Americans. There are some issues that are synonymous with the Bush Wars. In this case, the 9/11, scandal of Abu Ghraib, the 2003 invasion of Iraq, truth of WMD and the insurgency are the issues that are synonymous with the Bush Wars (Frontline, 1). The Frontline is the documentary that was produced during the 5th anniversary of the Bush Wars. The Frontline recognized that though part of this history is known, but the entire narrative is unknown hence there is need to fill the gap. Despite being referred as Bush wars, it should have been given Cabinet infightings title. Summary of the documentary The filmmaker is Michael Kirk while Will Lyman gives a signature narration. Ideally, the documentary seeks to develop information regarding how the war started, how fighting took place both the war front and insider critical analysis of the government. There seemed o be two battle lines, the war front at the ground and battle at the corridors of power within the government. In the fall of 2001 just when the Afghan war was ongoing, there were talks in government whether Iraq should be the next target. The perception was Saddam Hussein must have played a critical role in the 9/11. The was policy battle between Secretary of state, Collins Powell and director of CIA George Tenet on one side against VP Dick Cheney and Secretary...
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...headquarters located in Brussels Belgium. After being deployed to Bosnia Herzegovina and realizing the role NATO was playing gave me a new found understanding of its mission. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization known as NATO was formed in response to the threat Western Democracies encountered from the spreading influence of communism in the post World War II era. Currently NATO has 28 nations who have aligned themselves in the organization, which has seen its share of good and bad times. During the immediate period up until the cold war era NATO was a driving force for peace efforts between countries and states. After the President Reagan’s historical proclamation on June 12, 1987 while speaking to the people in West Berlin, at the Brandenburg Gate. His speech is considered by many to be the beginning of the end of the Cold War and the fall of communism. The wall actually was torn down during November 9-11, 1989, reuniting families who were once separated by the wall. This event, even though a joyous occasion begin the slow demise of what NATO stood for. What would be the next step for NATO now that the Cold War was ending and the reality that communism’s spread was significantly diminished to a meager memory? The resurgence of NATO would be brought back to life with vigor as the United States and the world as a whole, dealt with the aftermath of the attack. Former President George W. Bush, while addressing the audience at the NATO summit in Prague a little over...
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...The Iraq War: An Avoidable Situation Introduction Iraq has generally never been a nation at peace, but that did not stop the United States from exacerbating those problems. Following the attacks of September 11 and the invasion of Iraq in 2003 the United States’ actions and counter terrorism strategy created an insurgency that set them up for a long and arduous war. Through what appeared to be a rushed planning process the United States entered Iraq and acted as if they wanted to worsen their situation. This paper will look at how the ordinances passed during the first year in Iraq, due to Paul Bremer’s lack of knowledge concerning counter-insurgency, made the United States government reconsider their strategy in Iraq. These actions combined with a growing resentment towards United States occupancy and Shi’a and Sunni insurgencies caused the United States to change its course of action towards counter-insurgency. The civil war that was beginning only added to the problem. Quickly, they wrote two new field manuals on counter-insurgency and with successful campaigns, led by General Petraeus, regained some stability in the war-torn nation. Background A decade before the War on Terror and the subsequent invasion of Iraq under the Bush regime, there was the Gulf War. Following the Iraqi defeat at the hands of a USA led, United Nations backed force there were strict sanctions placed on weapons, the military, and oil reserves in Iraq. Also, following this conflict, a wealthy...
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...C100 Foundations MAJ LeAngela Jones C112 Stage Setter Essay Thomas Barnett The Pentagon War:” It explains why we’re going to War and why we’ll Keep Going to War” CGSC 1. Critique the Author’s thesis: Thomas Barnett has briefed many people on The Pentagon’s New Map: It explains why we’re going to war and why we’ll keep going to war” as part of the Non-Integrating Gap. The Pentagon's New Map was intended to provide direction for the Pentagon in search of a strategy following the 1927 Post War and how globalization has affected this world. Is Thomas Barnett way of thinking about war the way most Americans think about war? I agree with the majority of Barnett’s article on “The Pentagon New Map”. He talks about how the threat of the disconnectedness of the Gap will reduce the level of disconnectedness and shrink the Gap. Protecting American citizens at home and abroad is one of the toughest tasks the President and Congressional leaders assume after they assume the oath of office. Disconnectedness can be seen among the citizens of the United States. Some of the same reasons identified by Barnett as causal factors are also applicable on a lesser scale. Take a look at the disadvantage people living in the United States; some in projects and others in trailer parks. Many of them are somewhat educated and want success; however, they take the wrong course of action to be successful. When they witness the success of others and the personal property owned by successful people...
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