The War on Terror

The War On Terror Name______

DEFINITION OF TERRORISM:

–  _The use of violence or the threat of violence to achieve a political goal______

•  TERRORISM IS NOT A UNIQUELY MIDDLE EASTERN OR ISLAMIC PHENOMENON.

•  IT IS NOT A NEW CREATION.

GOALS OF TERRORISM:

•  Change or overthrow a government

•  Gain independence______

•  Seek justice for a wronged group______

•  Obtain concessions from a government ______

•  Get National or International Attention______

TERRORISM TACTICS:

·  OFTEN USED AS A WEAPON OF THE less powerful AGAINST THE STATE WITH political MOTIVATIONS.

·  TERRORISTS OFTEN USE Symbolic_ TARGETS TO CAPTURE THE WORLD’S ATTENTION.

·  State sponsored TERRORISM GREW IN THE 1980S

·  A WAY FOR WEAKER STATES TO STRIKE AT MORE POWERFUL ONES.

o  ie: Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, N.Korea, Sudan and Syria

·  TO DETER THIS, THE U.S. HAS APPLIED embargoes, AND sanctions , AS WELL AS IT HAS USED military retaliation_. (although it has not been extremely effective)

TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS CARRIED OUT ATTACKS ON THE U.S. AND ITS ALLIES THROUGHOUT THE LATTER PART OF THE 20TH CENTURY

WE SOMETIMES USED EMBARGOES AND SANCTIONS AS RELATIATION. HOWEVER THERE WERE OCCASIONAL MILITARY RESPONSES BY U.S.:

·  __Reagan_____ ORDERED AIR STRIKES AGAINST __Libya___ BECAUSE OF ITS INVOLVEMENT IN A BERLIN DISCO BOMBING THAT KILLED 2 AMERICANS

·  _Clinton_____ LAUNCHED A BOMBING CAMPAIGN IN _____Sudan & Afghanistan______AGAINST TARGETS ASSOCIATED WITH _al Qaeda ____ AFTER THE U.S. EMBASSY BOMBINGS IN ___Kenya and Tanzania ______

·  IN OCTOBER OF 2000 THE USS COLE WAS ATTACKED WHILE DOCKED IN YEMEN

SEPTEMBER 11, 2001: BACKGROUND

MAY OF 1996:

·  _____Osama Bin Laden______HAD BEEN LIVING IN ____Afghanistan_ ALONG WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF ____al Qaeda______:

o  INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE OF ISLAMIC TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS FOUNDED IN 1988 & LED BY OSAMA BIN LADEN

·  OPERATED TERRORIST TRAINING CAMPS IN A LOOSE ALLIANCE WITH THE __Taliban______:

o  ISLAMIST NATIONALIST MOVEMENT THAT RULED MOST OF AFGHANISTAN FROM 1996 UNTIL 2001

•  FOLLOWING THE 1998 U.S. EMBASSY BOMBINGS IN AFRICA, THE US MILITARY LAUNCHED SUBMARINE-BASED CRUISE MISSILES AT THESE CAMPS WITH LIMITED EFFECT

•  THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL IN 1999 AND 2000 PLACED SANCTIONS ON THE TALIBAN & ENCOURAGED THEM TO TURN OVER BIN LADEN FOR TRIAL IN THE EMBASSY BOMBINGS

AFGHANISTAN BEFORE THE TALIBAN:

•  SOVIET INVASION IN 1979

•  __Mujahideen______ (ISLAMIC WARRIORS) FOUGHT AGAINST THE SOVIETS WITH U.S. SUPPORT

•  FOLLOWING SOVIET WITHDRAWAL:

–  AMERICA LOST INTEREST IN AFGHANISTAN:

•  DID NOT INFLUENCE NEW AFGHANI GOVERNMENT

–  BITTER CIVIL WAR

–  ___Taliban_____ EMERGES AS A ___Religious and Political Force______

•  TOOK CONTROL OF _____Afghanistan by 2000______

TALIBAN RULE:

•  RESTRICTIONS ON ___Freedom______AND VIOLATIONS OF ____Human Rights______

•  __Women______WERE BANNED FROM JOBS, SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES AND FORCED TO WEAR BURKAS IN PUBLIC

•  __Thieves______ WERE PUNISHED BY AMPUTATING ONE OF THEIR HANDS OR FEET

•  ERADICATED THE MAJORITY OF THE OPIUM PRODUCTION BY 2001

THE TALIBAN AND 9/11:

•  THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION:

–  ____Osama bin Laden______ PLANNED 9/11-CARRIED OUT BY ___al-Qaeda______

–  ____Taliban______MUST GIVE UP BIN LADEN AND OTHER AL-QAEDA OPERATIVES ___Or face invasion______

•  TALIBAN REFUSES TO NEGOTIATE WITH _Bush___, BECAUSE HE IS A __Non-Muslim______

•  SEPTEMBER 20TH, 2001:

–  BUSH DECLARES “_____War On Terrorism____”

–  LIKENS THIS NEW WAR TO THE ____Cold War_____

OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM: 2001-PRESENT

•  __British and American___ AIRSTRIKES BEGAN ON _____October 7, 2001______

•  MILITIAMEN FROM ___Pakistan____ POURED INTO AFGHANISTAN IN SUPPORT OF THE TALIBAN

•  AMERICAN SPECIAL FORCES REINFORCED THE NORTHERN ALLIANCE, A TRADITIONAL ENEMY OF THE TALIBAN

•  ON NOVEMBER 12TH, THE TALIBAN FLED __Kabul______ AND TOOK REFUGE IN THE MOUNTAIN CAVES OF TORA BORA WITH AL-QAEDA FIGHTERS

•  IT IS BELIEVED ___Bin Laden_____ WAS ABLE TO ___Escape Pakistan_____ DURING THE BATTLE FOR ____Tora Bora_____

AFTER TORA BORA:

•  AFTER THE BATTLE FOR TORA BORA, THE US AND AFGHANI ALLIES SET UP AN INTERIM GOVERNMENT LED BY ____Hamid Karzai______

•  THIS GOVERNMENT HAS DEMONSTRATED HIGH LEVELS OF CORRUPTION

•  AL-QAEDA AND TALIBAN FIGHTERS SOUGHT REFUGE IN THE ____Tribal Region of Pakistan______

•  GUERILLA ATTACKS ______in Southern and Eastern Afhanistan______ INCREASED FROM ACROSS THE PAKISTANI BORDER

AFGHANISTAN TODAY:

•  CURRENTLY, THE UN LISTS AFGHANISTAN AS AT RISK FOR BECOMING A “__Failed State____”:

–  SUICIDE BOMBINGS, ATTACKS ON CIVILIANS, AND THE CONTINUED PRESENCE OF AL-QAEDA AND THE TALIBAN PREVENT THE NEW AFGHANI DEMOCRACY FROM ACHIEVING LASTING STABILITY

–  END OF THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN

•  U.S. COMBAT OPERATIONS WERE ENDED IN DECEMBER 2014- WITH 9,800 TROOPS REMAINING TO TRAIN AFGHAN SECURITY FORCES AGAINST REMNANTS OF AL-QAEDA.

•  THESE FORCES WERE TO BE HALVED BY THE END OF 2015, WITH COMPLETE WITHDRAWAL (BESIDES NORMAL EMBASSY PRESENCE) BY THE END OF 2016.

•  BASED ON THE SIGNING OF THE BILATERAL SECURITY AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE U.S. AND AFGHANISTAN.

•  IN OCTOBER OF 2015 _Obama__ ANNOUNCED WE WOULD HAVE TO KEEP TROOPS THERE UNTIL AT LEAST 2017.

•  AMOUNT WILL DROP TO ABOUT 5,500

THE END FOR BIN LADEN:

•  THE FORMER HEAD OF __AL QAEDA_____ WAS KILLED IN ____PAKISTAN___ ON __5/2/11___, BY NAVY SEALS. THE OPERATION, CODE-NAMED ___OPERATION_NEPTUNE__SPEAR____, WAS ORDERED BY UNITED STATES PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA.

ON THE HOMEFRONT:

•  ____DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY______

•  ______USA PATRIOT ACT______:

–  ALLOWS U.S. LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES TO:

•  _____FIGHT TERRORISM______ IN THE U.S. & OVERSEAS

•  ___SEARCH____ TELEPHONE, E-MAIL, MEDICAL & FINANCIAL RECORDS

•  _____DETAIN AND DEPORT______ IMMIGRANTS SUSPECTED OF TERRORISM

•  ___REGULATE___ FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING FOREIGN INDIVIDUALS

–  CRITICS SAY THE PATRIOT ACT ______VIOLATE_____AMERICANS’ ______FIRST AND FOURTH______ AMENDMENT RIGHTS

DETAINEES AT ______GUANTANAMO BAY______, CUBA

•  DETENTION CAMP:

–  750 PRISONERS-MOST HAVE ____NOT BEEN CHARGED___ WITH ANY CRIME (DUE PROCESS?)

–  ALLEGATIONS OF HUMILIATION, TORTURE AND ______GENERAL MISTREATMENT______

–  HAS BECOME A POLITICALLY DIVISIVE ISSUE

PRESIDENT OBAMA HAD ANNOUNCED PLANS TO CLOSE THE DENTENTION CENTER AT GUANTANAMO, BUT IT REMAINS OPEN AND UNLIKELY TO CLOSE ANYTIME SOON.

OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM: IRAQ:

-  PRESIDENT BUSH SAID IT WAS NECESSARY TO DISARM IRAQ IN ORDER TO

“PROSECUTE THE WAR ON TERROR____”:

§  SUSPECTED IRAQ OF PRODUCING WMDS: __WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION___

–  NONE FOUND

•  CLAIMED IRAQ SUPPORTED ___AL QAEDA AND PALESTINIAN______ SUICIDE BOMBERS

•  IRAQI __HUMANS RIGHTS ABUSES______

•  SPREAD ____DEMOCRACY______ TO IRAQ

–  __INSURGENCY______ FOLLOWING THE INVASION IN 2003

–  IRAQ BECAME A ____BREEDING GROUND______ FOR TERRORIST GROUPS

•  SADDAM HUSSEIN WAS OVERTHROWN & EVENTUALLY EXECUTED

INSURGENCY IN SAUDI ARABIA:

•  SAUDI ARABIA:

–  2000 TO PRESENT

–  RADICAL FIGHTERS ALLIED WITH AL-QAEDA

–  ATTACKS ON SAUDI MILITARY, FOREIGN WORKERS AND WESTERN TOURISTS

–  RESENT AMERICAN MILITARY PRESENCE IN THE MUSLIM HOLY LAND