A paper which questions the justification of the United States' declaration of war on terrorism and its difficulty in defining who exactly the enemy is.
Abstract After the September 11th attack by terrorists on the World Trade Center in New York, President George Bush declared war on terrorism. But, unlike past wars where the enemy was known by face or nationality, this new form of warfare, with terrorist cells in a multitude of countries, makes the enemy much more difficult to identify. The question is therefore asked whether a declaration of war on these "evildoers" is justified.
From the Paper "One major concern, even in the face of all the senseless horror that started this "War on Terrorism," is that we haven't found a way to clearly define exactly who the enemy is, and how and when the war will be done. This is new and uncertain territory; any of us can go to the library and find a picture of our country's leaders signing pacts with both Germany and Japan, signifying that both sides agree the war is over. Our history books show specific dates, and they are often printed on calendars. We don't have this for the "War on Terrorism." As the fighting in Afghanistan waxes and wanes, we hear government officials debating who the next targets of our warfare will be. We know the fight against the Al-Queda will continue; we are assisting the Philippines in their fight against terrorists to the benefit of both governments. But we no longer have a clear focus."
Tags: Al, Queda, Afghanistan, World, Trade, Center, BinLaden, Iraq
Abstract This paper explores two broad themes concurrently. Firstly, the writer examines the efforts of the U.S. government to successfully pin a WMD buildup on Iraq. The writer secondly discusses the efforts of U.S. officials to link Osama Bin Laden with Saddam Hussein. The writer then points out that what should become apparent is that, while there is or was some circumstantial evidence to link the Iraqis with Bin Laden and with WMD buildups, the whole story remains elusive.
From the Paper "The phrase "Weapons of Mass Destruction" has long-since entered the American lexicon. With the Bush Administration's stubborn insistence in recent years that there was a long-time link between Al-Qaeda and Iraq, the importance of determining how many "weapons of mass destruction" Iraq had - if it had any at all - and where those alleged weapons were stored was undeniable. For an American people still recovering from the shock and horror of 11 September, 2001, the notion that one of America's most inveterate foes had harbored, perhaps even supplied, a terrorist mass-murderer was discomfiting, to say the least - and remains unsettling to this very day. This paper will explore the WMD issue as it pertains to Iraq and also explore Iraq's relationship - such as it was - with Al Qaeda."
