Introduction
The levels of political tension have skyrocketed over the past several decades, causing the instances of confrontations and the number of acts of terror to rise, hence the launch of the War on Terror in its full form. Arguably, the War on Terror has been taking place since the first response toward an act of unhinged violence and the fight for retribution, which sets the start of the war back to the dawn of time. However, in the context of contemporary politics, the first trace of the war on terror can be found as early as in the 1960s, when the Cold War was threatening to grow into a nuclear confrontation (Sabir 206). Although the threat that the USSR and its nuclear power posed to the global community was removed with the downfall of the Soviet Union, the War on Terror continues as new dangers to citizens’ lives emerge.
Main text
The War on Terror provides the source of resistance to the threats of the acts of terror such as mass murders, hostage situations, and other cases that put numerous people’s lives in jeopardy. Therefore, it needs to be considered as the force that allows counteracting the dangers that terrorism represents. Although the past experiences of using the War on Terror as the tool for leveraging the threat have not been successful, such as the outcomes of the war in Afghanistan, the shift in the strategy used by the U.S. may assist in fighting terrorism (Sabir 204). Namely, instead of considering solely military-based interventions, recalibrating the process toward preventing political conflicts and armed confrontations should be considered a necessity.
The ostensible futility of the efforts aimed at eliminating terror is often cited as the main argument against the war on terror. Indeed, the reasoning behind this argument is understandable. Forecasting the instances of terrorism is practically impossible, which means that new threats will occur no matter what efforts will be taken. Nevertheless, the War on Terror should not be seen as pointless. Instead, it needs to be interpreted as a means of containing the raw, uninhibited destructive power of terrorism. Although the idea of having to rise to a new challenge regularly seems tiresome and disheartening, the War on Terror represents the force that can contain the dangers of an otherwise uncontrollable force.
In addition, when considering the sociocultural effects of the war on terror, one may mention the rise in wariness and, therefore, possible prejudices against the people belonging to specific cultures and nationalities. For instance, reports mention that the levels of acceptance for Syrian refugees in the U.S. in 2014 were drastically low; specifically, the study “found that 52% of Americans felt that Syrian refugees were a threat to national stability” (Yigit and Tatch 14). Therefore, when continuing War on Terror, it is important to keep in mind that marginalized communities require additional protection and support.
Conclusion
Although the War on Terror is unlikely to be ever won, it is important to keep fighting and showing resistance so that the lives of vulnerable groups could remain protected. The War on Terror does not currently imply the literal war that can result in a victory but, instead, represents the idea of resistance to terrorism. Thus, it is important to keep the process of fighting the problem of terrorism and avoid the cross-cultural confrontations and biases that may emerge in the process.
Works Cited
Sabir, Rizwaan. “Blurred Lines and False Dichotomies: Integrating Counterinsurgency into the UK’s Domestic ‘War on Terror’.” Critical Social Policy, vol. 37, no. 2, 2017, pp. 202-224.
Yigit, Ismail Hakki, and Andrew Tatch. “Syrian Refugees and Americans: Perceptions, Attitudes and Insights.” American Journal of Qualitative Research, vol. 1, no. 1, 2017, pp. 13-31.