CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Terrorism is a security problem that has plagued the world for centuries, states like USA just took a different softer approach towards it till it took a gruesome turn in the 20th century. Although attention to terrorism has increased sharply in recent years, it is by no means a new phenomenon. For decades terrorists have carried out attacks against non-combatant targets causing massive destruction by means of vicious assaults.
The war on terror was the United States response to the events that is popularly referred to as the 9/11 attack which made terrorism a top priority for the US government. The 9/11 events ushered in a new type of military action for US. The global war on terror is one of the main combatants of the US new strategy by the government to ensure America’s right to self defence and world’s obligation to the defence of freedom.
On September 11th, 2001, the strategic landscape of the world was altered instantly. The radical Islamic group, Al-Qaeda, challenged the global hegemon, the United States of America, by striking targets in New York City and Washington D.C., symbolizing the hegemon‘s economic and military power. The shock and impact of that day on the U.S. foreign policy and strategy are often compared to those caused by the Pearl Harbour attacks of 1941. The difference is that the terrorist attacks struck at the heartland of the United States, and was broadcasted live across the entire world through the television and internet channels. It also caused the deaths of almost three thousand people, mostly civilians and billions of dollars of damage. However, the most unprecedented aspect of the challenge was that it stemmed not from another state, but from a non-state actor. The scale and ambition of the
U.S. response are equally formidable. President George W. Bush declared a war which came to be known as the “global war on terrorism”: the enemy was identified, the allies were
mobilised, hesitant parties were warned, ideological parameters were established, police, and surveillance functions of the state were strengthened, the defence budget was substantially increased and military action was launched.