United States Foreign Policy and its Impact on International Terrorism: A Study on the National Security of the United States Since the September 11 Terrorist Attack
INTRODUCTION
International terrorism has long been defined as a threat to international security as well as to domestic security. The catastrophic events of September 11 in New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania have re-energized the US focus and resolution on terrorism. These issues have triggered the United States to develop a policy response from diplomacy, international cooperation, and constructive engagement to economic sanctions, covert actions, physical security enhancement, and military force.
There have been many negative connotations on the US approach on International terrorism. There have been some who believes that US foreign policy amounts to International terrorism. The American policy have been accused of having no little difference from international terrorism because of their negligence on the protests of Anti-war individuals all over the world. The war on Afghanistan and Iraq has caused a vast international impact that has changed the international relations and perspectives.
With all the criticisms and negative opinions that the US foreign policy received, they were still determined to pursue the war against terrorism. US policy toward international terrorism contains a significant military component, reflected in current US operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The war against the Taliban and Saddam Hussein has had tremendous impact on international terrorism in a sense that it somehow stabilized the aggression of international terrorism.
Terrorism has been considered as an international foreign policy issue. US policies, citizens and interests are major targets for international terrorism. In The year 2001, approximately, 63% of all terrorist incidents worldwide were committed to US citizens or property compared to 23% in 1995 (Perl, 1995). This fact has alarmed the US government, which has caused them to act against terrorism. Under the administration of George W. Bush, US foreign policy has shown a strong tendency toward unilateral action with the war in Iraq serving as a prime example. The acts of US against Saddam Hussein and the Taliban have freed the people who were under the reign of the aforementioned former leaders. Afghanistan is now free from the rule of Taliban, and so is Iraq from Saddam, all because of the campaign of the US against terrorism. Its impact has alarmed the international terrorists and paralyzed them to the limit of their capabilities to launch another terrorist attack.
Generally, anti-terrorism policies from the late 1970s to the mid 1990s focused on deterring and punishing state sponsors as opposed to terrorist group themselves. The passage of the landmark, Anti-Terrorism and Death Penalty Act of 1996 point to an important shift in policy. The use of diplomacy to help create a global anti-terror coalition is considered as the central component of the Bush Administration response to the September 11 events. The United Nations Security Council has condemned the attacks in unanimous declaration, and NATO Secretary General George Robertson has characterized the attacks in terms of Article V (mutual defense position) of the NATO treaty as an attack on all members of the NATO alliance. Some argue that diplomacy holds little hope of success against determined terrorists or the countries that support them. Though, in most cases, diplomatic measures are considered least likely to widen the conflict and therefore usually tried first.
Besides diplomatic measures, the US has implemented the foreign policy of economic sanctions on countries that are believed to support terrorism in general. Economic inducement was also applied to motivate other countries to help in the fight against terrorism. Covert actions, to be able to acquire the intelligence needed necessary for the success of the campaign against terrorism. Cash rewards have been also considered as a powerful motivator to anyone who has valuable information about international terrorism. Extradition and law enforcement cooperation, military force, and international conventions have been valuable in the US victory over the Taliban and Saddam.
The US foreign policies obviously neutralized the emergence of international terrorists. But the question is the level of impact that these policies affected international terrorists. The number of existing terrorists all over the world should be the basis for this but this goes as far as only US intelligence can get. Thus, the best possible way to determine the impact of the US on international terrorism is to examine and evaluate the national security of the US, and if there is a decline in the number of terrorist attacks as compared to the number terrorist attacks since 2001. The impact of such policies can be determined by evaluating the attitudes of the Americans against terrorism, on how they perceive terrorism and their safety. The degree of safety in the American society can help determine the impact of the American foreign policy on international terrorists.
Related Literatures
There aren’t any literatures yet, pertaining to the impact of US foreign policies on international terrorism. However, there are many literatures about the effects of terrorist attacks on the attitude and behavior of Americans. These literatures would be helpful in the descriptive evaluation of attitudes pertaining to terrorism, which will be linked to the number of terrorist attacks in the US after 911. Using this method, the impact of American foreign policy on international terrorism can be depicted by basing it on the level of safety in the American society in terms of perception of the citizens, and the terrorist attacks records
The September 11 terrorist attacks has induced fear in the hearts of the modern Americans. It arouses many repercussions such as paranoia, panic and even racism. This shows the impact how strong and volatile the impact of international terrorism has been on the United States. Akram (2002) in her article entitled “The aftermath of September 11, 2001: The targeting of Arabs and Muslims in America,” that “The Patriot Act” and related Administration policies since 9-11 rely primarily on racial profiling – the singling-out of Arabs and Muslims for extreme treatment – to prevent or investigate terrorist activity. The US Patriot Act of 2001 is basically an act to extend and strengthen Anti-Terrorism and Death Penalty Act of 1996 (Perl, 1995). This act The Act further provides mandatory detention of non-citizens until they are removed in those cases which the Attorney General issues a certification he has “reasonable grounds to believe” the non-citizen has engaged in terrorist activity or ‘any other activity that endangers national security. Akram (2002) concluded that the US government’s actions in the ‘war on terrorism’ after 9-11 do not appear to meaningfully enhance the security of the American people against terrorism. Akram (2002) further explains that private and government groups and individuals on the other hand, exacting an extraordinarily high price on Arab and Muslim non-citizens, already demonize them through historical animosity.
Joseph Farah (2003), a G2 Bulletin writer wrote that an Arabic-language al-Qaida-style message posted on an Islamic website threatens imminent attacks on the U.S. – attacks described as “the final blows in the crucial battles at hand,” This report has been received and published last December 2003. It was proven valid and credible because it uses the style commonly used by known al-Qaida supporters and employs Quranic verses and even direct references to bin Laden’s speeches. This is one proof of the still existing threat of terrorist attacks in the US.
This ongoing threat continuously inflicts anxiety in America. Reuters (2003) reports that the skies above New Year’s Eve revelers in New York, Las Vegas and some other US cities have been off-limits to certain aircraft and patrolled by warplanes as part of increased vigilance for terror attacks.
Mcghie (2002) states that “the 11 September attacks on America focused international attention on terrorism — particularly Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda organization. To date the United States response has focused on terrorist enclaves and their worldwide networks. To be effective, however, the real assault must be made on the deep-seated and complex causes of terrorism. The United States and the West generally must work at policies aimed at promoting long-term solutions, particularly in the Middle East imbroglio. To see countering bin Laden only in terms of armed attacks risks producing an even more entrenched grievance syndrome in which terrorism flourishes.”
Stephen Mchale (2003), the Deputy Administrator, Transportation Security Administration of the US Senate Committee wrote last November that U.S. Believes Terrorists Still Pose Threat to Civil Aviation. Mchale and two other TSA officials identified the threat from terrorists equipped with shoulder-launched missiles, called man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), as one of “credible concern.” They said that MANPADS are “widely” available on black or gray markets around the world and that even an unsuccessful MANPAD attack on a commercial airliner would have a “devastating” economic and political impact.
Statement of the Problem
This research finds the necessity for a study that specifically tackles the impact of the US foreign policy on international terrorism, it terms of the current presence of international terrorism in America based on the attitude of the American people towards it, and actual records of terrorist attacks after 911. The general objective of the study is to identify the level of impact of the US foreign policy on international terrorism. Specifically, this study will try to answer the following queries:
Nature and Significance
There are still currently little, (or none) available studies that specifically pertains the impact of the US foreign policy on international terrorism. Most studies have focused on the effects of international terrorism in the American society or international society. On the other hand, other studies tackles the impact of terrorism on the national security, both in America and internationally. The researcher feels that the need to reveal the effectiveness of the American foreign policy is a necessity, as it would clear issues and negative opinions on the US war against terrorism.
The study will be a significant endeavor in establishing the impact of US foreign policy on international terrorism, if any. It will shed the light to the inquiry on the positive or negative results of the US campaign against terrorism using specific foreign policies pertaining to it. It will point to discover if there are any increases or decreases of terrorist attacks in the US after the September 11 incident. The study also hopes to link the individual perception of Americans with the actual records of the improvement, or failure of the American foreign policy in preventing international terrorism to terrorize the country.
Methodology The study will specifically choose it respondents from certain high-terrorist risk cities like New York City, Las Vegas, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, and Pennsylvania. The study will cover 20% of the population of each city regardless of gender and age. These respondents will be surveyed and interviewed to the realm of this study. Information about the terrorist attacks will be researched in the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Their cooperation will be fervently sought after.
A descriptive analysis between the relationship of the respondents and the information from the FBI will be examined. Interviews will be scheduled to cover the information that is vital to the study, such as the opinion of the Senate and public officials of the specific cities on the impact of the US foreign policy on international terrorism.
At the end of the data-gathering period, this researcher must have gathered the enough information on (1) the opinion of the public on the effectiveness, or failure of the policies against terrorism; (2) the effectiveness, or failure of the US foreign policy based on records of terrorists attacks linked with the answers of the respondents; and (3) the level of impact of the US foreign policy on international terrorism.
References:
Akram, Susan (2002). The aftermath of September 11, 2001: The targeting of
Arabs and Muslims in America. Arab Studies Quarterly. COPYRIGHT 2002 Association of Arab-American University Graduates and Institute of Arab Studies; COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group.
Farah, Joseph (2003). Warning of imminent U.S. terrorist attack: Islamic website
claims ‘final blows’ in ‘crucial battle’ about to begin. WorldNetDaily.com
Mcghie, Gerald (2002). Responding to terror. New Zealand International
Review. Volume: 27. COPYRIGHT 2002 New Zealand Institute of International Affairs; COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group
Mchale, Stephen (2003). U.S. Believes Terrorists Still Pose Threat to Civil
Aviation. The Testimony of Mr. Stephen McHale, Deputy Administrator, Transportation Security Administration, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY.
Perl, Raphael (2003). Terrorism, the Future, and U.S. Foreign Policy. Foreign
Affairs and Trade Division, Congressional Research Service. The Library of Congress.
Reuters (2003) US Restricts Airspace Over New Year Celebration. Airwise
News
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