“Terrorism represents an existential threat to security and requires a military response.”
Terrorism is any activity that involves a premeditated crime whose main purpose is to instill fear in a group of people and also gain the attention of a state media for ulterior motives. Terrorism as an act is indeed a threat to the security of state members since it results in the maiming of a large number of people, death, and destruction of property.
Owing to the violent nature of all terrorism activities and the indiscriminate effects it has on the target group, a military response is required (Hoffman, 2006).
This is especially vital when the terrorism threat is external. All terrorism acts have a definite aim or objective; hence the perpetrators do not mind that the effects of an attack on the targeted people since they achieve the purpose. These attacks are also carried out by organized groups hence necessitating the military response. The military is also better equipped in terms of skill and weaponry to handle these rogue groups (Rawls, 1999).
The brutal manner in which the terrorist groups handle ordinary civilians and non-combat population makes it imperative that the military is tasked with dealing with them. In addition, terror attacks are carefully coordinated, and hence such war skills can only be matched by a trained military wing of any state. Lastly, the involvement of the military is vital for war zones that are outside the demarcated borders of a state. They have the jurisdiction of enforcing law outside the borders of the state (Hoffman, 2006).
“This is a contemporary battle between good and evil.”
Good and evil are issues of morality, and in essence, morality is subjective in that good and evil are a matter of individual choices and the comfort with which the person has in what they do. Good generally is regarded as something that brings more happiness in logic and also scientifically something that results in the continuity of life and supports the same life to thrive fully. Contrary to this, we define evil as any threat to life and also the elements that cause unhappiness, including thoughts, ideas, and the notion that are negative (Bentham, 1988).
Relating this to terrorism, we can categorize any act of terrorism as evil since it threatens life and often ends it. The effects of terror attacks cause a lot of pain and suffering due to injuries and also result in disabilities. This directly translates to unhappiness (Bentham, 1988). The evil is also evident since terrorism is often premeditated, and as a product of negative thoughts, we can conclude that terrorism is indeed evil.
This battle is further complicated by the fact that the same evil act of terrorism usually is counteracted by revenge attacks that are still evil. The evilness is evident since the counterattacks are just as violent as the initial terror attacks from the perpetrators. Both activities result lead to death and injuries, which translate to unhappiness (Harmon, 2007).
“The United States needs to remake the Middle East in its image.”
Considering that most states in the Middle East have a larger percentage of the population is Muslim, there is a very big difference in the cultures with that of the United States. This difference is also reflected in the systems of governance. The cultures and beliefs influence the governance ways, and since the United States is largely a mixture of cultures that over time has been watered down (Kinzer, 2008).
They work on democratic principles that are considered lenient and not strict. The freedoms brought about by the democracy have caused them to view the Middle Eastern states as backward and their laws as oppressive to the citizens. In an attempt to make other nations similar to them, the United States has gotten involved in the Middle East to try and effect a change in the system of government and advocate for something similar or exact to theirs (Kinzer, 2008).
References
Bentham, J. (1988). The Principles of Morals and Legislation. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books.
Harmon, C. (2007).Terrorism Today. London: Routledge.
Hoffman, B. (2006). Inside Terrorism. Columbia: Columbia University Press.
Kinzer, S. (2008). All the Shah’s Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror. New York: Wiley.
Rawls, J. (1999). A Theory of Justice. Cambridge, M.A: Belknap Press.