Terrorism, propagated by Islamic Extremists, has cost the lives of countless innocent inhabitants, for a long time. These terrorists majorly attack the United States citizens. The newsagents have aired various cases of terrorism from time to time over an incredibly longer period. One of the worst incidents or terror attacks was experienced in 11th September 2001, with the bombing of the Pentagon and World Trade Center.
As a result, the United States retaliated by ambushing many of these terrorists from their hideouts and thus significantly reducing cases of terror attacks (Gale, Radu & Sicherman, 2009). One of the major breakthroughs in this fight was the recent execution of the leader of Al Qaeda Network, Osama bin Laden. However, the US government should not celebrate yet for this milestone, but it should be more vigilant to curb any retaliatory attacks (Ross, 2011).
Moreover, with the advancement of technology, the United States military is to fight this menace and significantly impede terrorists’ operations. On the other hand, terrorists have taken advantage of technology to perpetrate terror to innocent victims. Terrorists now use sophisticated weaponry to carry out their ill-fated missions, in the name of fighting for their religion. Terror groups have now gone global, with followers being almost in every nation (Noritz, 2009).
Over the past years, many critics have raised the issue as to whether this war is worth its taking. The war against terrorism has cost the United States large sums of taxpayers’ money that could have been used elsewhere to uplift the economy. However, in my opinion, it is worthwhile. Among the benefits of this undertaking are improved security to the citizens of the United States.
The resilient and unending war against the terrorists has made the US citizens to have free movement without fear of recurrent attacks. This has resulted in saving innocent lives and helped safeguarding the welfare of citizens, thus promoting economic growth. Besides, the war has aided significantly in reducing threats from the terror perpetrators (Noritz, 2009).
In addition, the battle on terrorism has significantly reduced recurrent attacks. The US Army has deactivated most terrorist activities, thus diminishing their strength for further attacks. Furthermore, the US involvement in countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan has led to the elimination of autocratic rule based on corruption and nepotism and brought democracy to those involved nations. As a result, these countries will experience economic development and thus improve people’s living standards.
Through this war, the US military forces have gained vast knowledge about how best to fight enemies, not only the terrorist attackers. As a result, the US government has reinforced its military prowess in terms of efficiency, better organization structure and weaponry sophistication through technology incorporation. This makes the US military the best in the world.
The involvement of US in War against terrorism has made US earn recognition from other countries. Nations such as India, Britain and the East African states face the challenge of terrorism and with total cooperation, they will gradually put terrorism at bay. This way, they will create strong international relations and thus, promote peace among world nations. Moreover, through the war on terrorism, the US government has sensitized other nations towards the fight for democracy and proper governance.
Conversely, the war against terrorism costs the US government loads of money. Critics argue against the fight, claiming that terrorism is currently not a serious threat to the residents. Moreover, they argue that the money used for terrorism war could be utilized better in other economy stimulating activities such as trade, or it could be channeled to the healthcare system. Others argue that the US army is using too much force while fighting against terrorism, thus compromising human rights.
References
Gale, S., Radu, M. & Sicherman, H. (2009). The war on terrorism: 21st-century perspectives. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.
Ross, D. (2011). Why al Qaeda is winning the war we’re fighting, and the war we think we’re fighting. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Noritz, J. (2009). Pirates, terrorists, and warlords: the history, influence, and future of armed groups around the world. New York, NY: Skyhorse Publishers.