https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/10/world/europe/war-on-terror-bush-biden-qaeda.htmlLinks to an external site.
The US’s multilateral counterterrorism campaign, which includes up to 85 countries, has been criticized for its failures in Iraq and Afghanistan. The C.I.A. has expanded a secret base in the Sahara to monitor Al Qaeda and Islamic State militants in Libya, Niger, Chad, and Mali. The Pentagon is considering sending Special Forces trainers back to Somalia to help local troops fight the militants. The war on terror is inseparable from the twin calamities of Afghanistan and Iraq, where the US sought to remake tribal societies into American-style democracies. The lack of major foreign attacks in the “other” war on terror is attributed to tighter border security, the internet’s ability to track and disrupt jihadi movements, and the Arab Spring’s shift in extremist focus. The abuses and excesses of war have cost the US moral authority, spawning a new generation of Qaeda franchises and the Islamic State. The financial drain from the counterterrorism campaign has been vast, fueling the military’s budgets even years after major combat in Afghanistan and Iraq ended. The war on terror has been a successful example of multilateralism, but the Biden administration’s perceived lack of consultation with European allies has angered political leaders and potentially filtered down into the intelligence ranks.
The political consensus undergirded that the war on terror is fracturing due to America’s extreme polarization. President Biden, who visited the Taliban battlefield in 2002, has become a leading naysayer on military force, opposing troop surges in Afghanistan, NATO intervention in Libya, and advising against the commando raid that killed Osama bin Laden. As the war on terror enters its third decade, American presidents no longer cast the battle in existential terms. The US faces the challenge of maintaining an effective counterterrorism policy due to a divided and distracted administration. The Taliban’s victory has inspired new fighters to target familiar targets, highlighting the need for continued security efforts.
Questions:
What do you think is the reason why terrorism continues?
Do you think America’s help in the Middle East helped or worsen the situation there?
Do you think social media technology helps us understand Middle East’s culture better today?