The War on Terror - Threats to Civil Liberties

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the topic of the war on terrorism in America. Specifically it discusses how the American war on terrorism has created numerous threats to civil liberties in the USA. The paper states that many Americans fear the threat of another terrorist attack, and believe the government has the right to take any measures necessary to keep that from happening. The paper concludes that many of the government's tactics threaten the civil liberties of Americans, a topic that is often overlooked in the war on terrorism.

From the Paper:

"However, there are many areas where experts show American civil liberties are being threatened or decreased. For example, recent Congressional inquiries and votes indicate the concern over loss of civil liberties when it comes to phone surveillance and records. After 9/11, the US Patriot Act modified many rules and regulations regarding gathering foreign and domestic intelligence. One of the most controversial was the ability to wiretap or listen to phone, wireless phone, and email communications. Before 9/11, there were stringent guidelines on what type of communication could be wiretapped, and suspects who were wiretapped had to be notified if the evidence collected could be used against them in court. The Patriot Act relaxed these rules, making it much easier for agencies to wiretap both foreign and domestic phone calls, with little or no provocation. This means that the government essentially can listen to any conversation they want to, whether they believe it has a relationship to the war on terror, or not, which is clearly a violation of the right to privacy guaranteed in the Constitution (Etzioni 52). A recent bill would have absolved communications companies of any liability in these wiretapping cases, but Congress defeated that bill, indicating the growing concern over the loss of civil liberties."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Ackerman, Bruce. "Before the Next Attack: After Every Terrorist Attack, Governments Respond with Ever More Repressive Laws, Tearing Up Civil Liberties in the Search for Greater Security." New Statesman 3 July 2006: 38+.
• Editors. "Polls: War on Terrorism." PollingReport.com. 2008. 28 March 2008. http://www.pollingreport.com/terror.htm
• Editors. "The Terrorism Index: 2007." ForeignPolicy.com. 2007. 28 March 2008. <http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3924>
• Crawley, Vince. " United States Presents Report to U.N. Anti-Torture Committee." U.S. Department of State. 2006. 28 March 2008. <http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2006/May/20060505154246MVyelwarC0.3427851.html >
• Etzioni, Amitai. How Patriotic Is the Patriot Act? Freedom versus Security in the Age of Terrorism. New York: Routledge, 2004.

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