War on Terrorism

The "War on Terrorism" or "War on Terror" (in US foreign policy circles, the global war on terrorism or GWOT{{fn|1}} ) is a campaign by the United States and some of its allies to rid the world of terrorist groups and to end state sponsorship of terrorism. There is a de facto focus on stopping Islamist terrorism.

Overview

The very phrase "War on Terrorism" is the subject of some debate and disagreement. First, there has always been considerable debate as to what constitutes terrorism; in addition, the notion of declaring war on an abstract concept is troubling to some (in the same vein as the war on drugs, war on poverty, and the war on crime). The War on Terrorism, although it is different than other World wars, continues to require the use of military forces, unlike the other abstract concepts of "war."

Related Topics:
Terrorism - War on drugs - War on poverty - War on crime - World war

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There are difficulties inherent in labelling armed participants as "freedom-fighters," "terrorists," "insurgents," etc., due to the relative criteria required to meet such labels.

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Even when the boundaries of an organization are clearly defined, there might not be a way to distinguish some organizations as terrorist or otherwise. For example, the militant Islamist group Hamas; although directly responsible for the murder of many Israelis, Hamas is also responsible for many of the charities and other social welfare programs in Palestine. Nevertheless, Israel, the US and the EU consider Hamas as a terrorist group.

Related Topics:
Militant Islam - Hamas - Palestine

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Among those who accept the term "War on Terrorism" there are disagreements as to which actions, by which states, should be considered as part of the "war." For example, the Bush administration, despite considerable international and domestic disagreement, contends that the pre-emptive 2003 invasion of Iraq and the subsequent occupation is a crucial part of the War on Terrorism. Likewise, Russia has recently asserted that its ongoing struggles with Chechen insurgents and terrorists should be part of the international effort.

Related Topics:
Bush administration - Pre-emptive - 2003 invasion of Iraq - Occupation - Chechen

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Only two months after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Noam Chomsky argued that the United States is a leading terrorist state http://www.monthlyreview.org/1101chomsky.htm. Specifically, Chomsky cited the Clinton administration for its role in what he called terrorism. Chomsky has long argued that some commonly accepted definitions of "terrorism" also apply to many of the actions undertaken by the U.S.http://www.chomsky.info/articles/199112--02.htm

Related Topics:
September 11, 2001 - Noam Chomsky

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Cognitive linguistics professor George Lakoff, founder of the progressive think tank the Rockridge Institute, has argued, with respect to the phrase "War on Terror", "Terror is a general state, and it's internal to a person. Terror is not the person we're fighting, the 'terrorist.' The word terror activates your fear, and fear activates the strict father model, which is what conservatives want. The 'war on terror' is not about stopping you from being afraid, it's about making you afraid." He adds "...terrorists are actual people, and relatively small numbers of individuals, considering the size of our country and other countries. It's not a nation-state problem. War is a nation-state problem." Lakoff believes that the frame invoked by the phrase plays a key role in the political changes enacted by President Bush through the implication of the frame. http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2004/08/25_lakoff.shtml

Related Topics:
Cognitive linguistics - George Lakoff - Progressive - Think tank - Rockridge Institute - Frame

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