The war on terror, often known as the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), is one of the most recent multi-war international hostilities and was started by the United States in the wake of the September 11 attacks in 2001. According to some academics and political scientists, it took the place of the Cold War.
The campaign's primary objectives were militant Islamist groups including the Taliban, al-Qaeda, and its allies. The Ba'athist government in Iraq, which was overthrown in an invasion in 2003, and other militant groups that fought throughout the ensuing insurgency were also significant targets. The Islamic State also became a significant enemy of the United States after expanding its territory in 2014.
The "war on terror" uses the metaphor of war to refer to a number of activities that do not fit the conventional definition of war. On September 16, 2001, U.S. President George W. Bush coined the phrase "war on terrorism". A few days later, he used the phrase again in a formal address to Congress. Bush described "a radical network of terrorists and every government that supports them" as the enemy of the war on terror.
With the primary theater in Afghanistan and Pakistan—later known as "AfPak"—the first fight was directed against al-Qaeda. The Bush administration later used more nuanced terminology to describe the campaign when the term "war on terror" was swiftly attacked by several, notably Richard Myers, who was the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the time. Although the term "war on terror" was never officially applied to U.S. activities, the U.S. Armed Forces did and still do award a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
The term "war on terror" generally excludes other autonomous counterterrorism operations and campaigns, such as those conducted by Russia and India, and refers exclusively to the military campaign waged by the United States, the United Kingdom, and allies against groups and regimes that they have designated as terrorists. Other names for the battle include "World War IV," "World War III," "Bush's War on Terror," "The Long War," "The Forever War," "The Global War on Terror," "The War Against al-Qaeda," "The War of Terror,"
The precursor to the 11 September attacks
Osama bin Laden-sponsored World Islamic Front for Jihad against Jews and Crusaders (WIFJAJC) began establishing a sizable base of operations in Afghanistan in May 1996, the same month that the Taliban's Islamist extremist government took control of the country. Bin Laden swore jihad against the United States in August 1996. As the leader of al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden signed a fatwa in February 1998 declaring war on Israel and the West. In May, al-Qaeda released a video in which it made the same declaration.
Twelve Americans were among the 224 persons killed when al-Qaeda attacked the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania on August 7, 1998. However, some have questioned whether a pharmaceutical plant in Sudan was used as a chemical warfare facility. In response, U.S. President Bill Clinton launched Operation Infinite Reach, a bombing campaign in Sudan and Afghanistan against targets the U.S. claimed were associated with WIFJAJC. About half of Sudan's pharmaceutical demands were met by the facility, which also produced a large portion of the antimalarial medications in the area. No Taliban or WIFJAJC commanders were killed in the strikes.
11 September attacks
Four jet planes, all headed for California, were hijacked by nineteen men on the morning of September 11, 2001. Since it had never happened before in history and many hijacking attempts had ended with the passengers and crew escaping unharmed after obeying the hijackers, no passenger or crew suspected that the hijackers would use the jet airliners as suicide weapons. Instead, they told the passengers that they had a bomb on board and that they would spare their lives once their demands were met.
The hijackers purposefully crashed two jet planes into the World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York City. They were members of al-Qaeda's Hamburg branch. Due to fire damage from the crashes, both buildings collapsed within two hours, destroying and damaging additional buildings in the vicinity. Just outside of Washington, D.C., in Arlington County, Virginia, the hijackers crashed a third jet plane into the Pentagon. After some of the passengers and flight crew tried to recover control of the jet airliners, which the hijackers had rerouted toward Washington, D.C., to strike the White House or the U.S. Capitol, the fourth jet airliner crashed into a field close to Shanksville, Pennsylvania. There were no survivors on any of the flights. The attacks claimed the lives of the 19 hijackers and 2,977 people in total. Of the nineteen, fifteen were Saudi nationals, while the remaining individuals were from Egypt, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates.
The term "war on terror" is criticized for being a misnomer and for addressing the problems, ethics, effectiveness, economics, and other aspects surrounding the war on terror. The idea of a "war" against "terrorism" has proven to be very controversial, with some claiming that participating governments have used it to further long-standing military and policy goals, such as reducing civil liberties, violating human rights, and fostering structural Islamophobia.
Since there is no known opponent and it is improbable that international terrorism can be stopped militarily, it is argued that the term "war" is inappropriate in this situation (as in the "war on drugs").
Francis Fukuyama and other critics contend that "terrorism" is a strategy rather than an enemy and that referring to it as a "war on terror" blurs the distinctions between international mujahideen and anti-occupation militants. Shirley Williams asserts that a military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with the collateral damage that goes along with it, fuels animosity and terrorist threats against the West. In addition, there are claims of media-induced frenzy, perceived U.S. hypocrisy, and that disparities in foreign and security policy have harmed America's standing abroad. The campaign has also come under fire for normalizing ongoing violence as the norm and for being a never-ending conflict with no end in sight.
The morality, effectiveness, and expense of the fight against terror have been the main points of criticism. The idea of a "war on terror" is still controversial, with detractors claiming that it has been used to violate human rights and curtail civil liberties. Examples of this include the United States' controversial use of surveillance, torture, and extraordinary rendition, as well as drone strikes that killed both civilians and suspected terrorists. Other nations, such as the 54 that participated in CIA black sites or those that provided drone strike assistance, backed many of the U.S.'s acts.