Global War on Terror: The Aftermath Continues

When one thinks of war, they think of two sides in a distant or a nearby location fighting against one another. One side is set to be good, while the other is set to be bad. However, in today’s society, the Global War on Terror is far beyond what anyone could ever imagine. Instead of having one group of nations defeat another, as was the case during WWII, today’s Global War on Terror includes a group of nations fighting against Islamic extremists and Islamist terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda and the Islamist militant group known as the Taliban.

It all started in 2001, after the September 11 attacks on American soil; President George W. Bush had previously set an ultimatum with the Taliban government in Afghanistan. President Bush had asked the Taliban to turn over Osama bin Laden, who was believed to be the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks. Otherwise, the Taliban would have to face an invasion on Afghani soil. Nevertheless, the Taliban refused to turn over bin Laden, or any al-Qaeda leaders without any solid evidence to link them to the September 11 attacks. However, the United States refused to provide evidence, and on October 7, 2001, the War on Terror had begun in Afghanistan with a US invasion to expulse the Taliban regime.

In March 2003, the United States led another invasion by the Bush administration, to begin the Iraq War. Ever since 1990, Iraq has been on the United States’ watch list for possession of weapons of mass destruction. Before the invasion on Iraq, President Bush’s administration called for the United Nations Security Council to send inspectors to Iraq in search for evidence to support this accusation. The United Nations Security Council resolution, (UNSC Resolution 1441), offered Iraq to comply with the UNSC’s demand, or face a serious consequence. In 2002, while President Bush was visiting a NATO summit, he declared that if Saddam Hussein chose not to disarm, the United States would lead a coalition of those willing to disarm him. A total of 48 countries supported the Bush administration’s “Coalition of the Willing,” which referred to countries that supported the invasion of Iraq. Thus the United States assisted by the United Kingdom, Australia, and Poland, invaded Iraq in March 2003. By April 2003, Baghdad fell, as did Saddam Hussein’s government. After months of searching, Saddam Hussein was eventually caught on December 2003, and executed three years later. It wasn’t until December 15, 2011, that the war in the Middle East came to an end.

Even after the death of Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden, people still question what the result of the Global War on Terror was. In reality, the United States did not gain anything from the war. The governments’ attempts to gain control of Iraq’s oil reserves failed. It spent nearly three trillion US dollars; some even claim that even more was spent. The money was used for sending troops, ammunition, care packages, and rations half way around the world. The US lost nearly 4,500 soldiers, as well as 30,000 wounded in combat. Not only that, but some of the effects on everyday society include the increase of security at airports, bus stations, train stations, and schools. Before the attacks of September 11, people were able to walk up to the departure gates of an airport and greet their friends and family. Now, people have to wait outside a secured area. It appears that terrorism, as well as the fear or terrorism in the past decade has escalated more than anyone ever thought it would ever reach. Reports of car bombings are reported every month in the Middle East, along with many civilian casualties. Not only that, but public shootings have been reported throughout the United States, and the result of continuous terror plots around the world has caused a spread of fear. Within the past decade, the amount of money spent on beefing up security in public places as escalated so high in such a small period of time, no one knows what we are trying to protect anymore. Even with all these advances in improving security at airports, there are still terrorist attacks that occur every year on airplanes. No matter how hard we try, there will never be an end to the global war on terror.