War on terror
The "war on terror", or alternately, the "global war on terror", is a phrase used by United States President George W. Bush, and his supporters.[1][2][3][4] President Bush used the phrase as early as September 20, 2001 -- nine days after al Qaeda's attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, on September 11, 2001. Over six thousand documents generated by the White House use this phrase.[5]
Critics challenge the use of this phrase, as poorly defined, and as an appeal to listeners emotions, not their intellect. Francis Fukuyama wrote[6]:
The term “war on terrorism” is a misnomer, resulting in distorted ideas of the main threat facing Americans today. Terrorism is only a means to an end; in this respect, a “war on terror” makes no more sense than a war on submarines.
References
- ↑ George W. Bush. Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People, The White House, 2001-09-20. Retrieved on 2008-06-26. “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.”
- ↑ George W. Bush. The Global War on Terrorism: The First 100 Days, The White House, December 2001. Retrieved on 2008-06-26. “The President fired the first shot in the war on terrorism with the stroke of his pen to seize terrorist financial assets and disrupt their fundraising pipelines. The world financial community is moving to starve the terrorists of their financial support. 196 countries support the financial war on terror; 142 countries have acted to freeze terrorist assets; in the U.S. alone, the assets of 153 known terrorists, terrorist organizations, and terrorist financial centers have been frozen; and major terrorist financial networks have been closed down.”
- ↑ George W. Bush. President Discusses Creation of Military Commissions to Try Suspected Terrorists, The White House, 2006-09-06. Retrieved on 2008-06-26. “To win the war on terror, we must be able to detain, question, and, when appropriate, prosecute terrorists captured here in America, and on the battlefields around the world.”
- ↑ George W. Bush. Press Conference of the President -- June 14, 2006, The White House, 2006-06-14. Retrieved on 2008-06-26. “See, Iraq is a part of the global war on terror. It's not "the" global war on terror, it's a theater in the global war on terror. And if we fail in Iraq, it's going to embolden al Qaeda types. It will weaken the resolve of moderate nations to stand up to the Islamic fascists. It will cause people to lose their nerve and not stay strong.”
- ↑ web search for speeches, press releases, and other white house documents that mention the phrase "war on terror"
- ↑ Phase III in the War on Terrorism? Challenges and opportunities, Brookings Institute, 2003-05-14. Retrieved on 2008-06-26. “The term “war on terrorism” is a misnomer, resulting in distorted ideas of the main threat facing Americans today. Terrorism is only a means to an end; in this respect, a “war on terror” makes no more sense than a war on submarines. The United States is not attacking terrorism generically; the concept of a war on “terrorism” in general implies that the United States has a stake in local battles such as Russia’s war in Chechnya, when in fact it does not. Similarly, the United States should provide support to Israel through shared intelligence, but Palestinian terrorism in Israel remains essentially Israel’s problem.”