Effects of the Taliban in the United StatesThe 9/11 attack wasn’t just one of America’s biggest event in history, it was also a declaration of war. The 9/11 attack killed around 3000 people in the world trade center, 343 of which were paramedics and firefighters (“9/11 Attacks”). The Al-Qaeda terrorists took thousands of innocent lives and they deserve to be punished. America’s decision to invade Afghanistan, track down Osama Bin Laden and abolish the Taliban after the 9/11 attack was just.
Terrorism is an ongoing problem worldwide and is the cause of many disasters including the 9/11. I believe that the solution to ending terrorism is to assassinate the leader, in this case, Osama Bin Laden, and abolish the organization. Osama Bin Laden is the mastermind behind the terrorists and he was the one who planned the 9/11 attack. The United States were able to assassinate him in 2011 which was a major step towards a terrorism-free world. The United States continues to go to war with Afghanistan today in order to try and end terrorism. I believe that going to war with Afghanistan was the right thing to do because there were no alternatives. There is no negotiating with the Taliban since they are a group ruthless and savage people. They are the people who kill thousands and thousands of innocent people because of their immoral ideology and their need for an extreme form of expression. Their goal is to kill innocent people and terrorize the worldwide community (“Concept and Ideology of Terrorism”). Terrorism has a big impact on other countries, not just America. Turkey has been exposed to terrorist threats for over 30 years (“Concept and Ideology of Terrorism”). Terrorism can lead to economic loss as well (“Concept and Ideology of Terrorism”). The Quran is used to justify the terrorist’s actions. It contains at least 109 verses that state that Muslims should go to war with non-believers for the sake of Islamic rule. However, I don’t believe that this can be used to justify their actions. They should know that it is immoral to kill thousands of innocent lives, like they did on September 9th 2001 (“9/11 Attacks”). Many Muslims today choose whether or not they should listen to the Qur’an’s call to arms based on their moral judgment. America has every right to attempt to abolish the Taliban because they attacked the World Trade Center and Pentagon. This was a declaration of war from their side and America responded appropriately. The Taliban is a very dangerous organization and it imposes a threat to America. Not only did the event of 9/11 damage the World Trade Center, the hub of the financial district, it also damaged the Pentagon. The Pentagon is the headquarters of the U.S Department of Defense (“Pentagon”). A hijacked plane flew into the Pentagon, killing 189 people and damaging a third of the building (“Pentagon”). We can clearly see that the Taliban is a major threat to the United States. In conclusion, terrorism is the cause of the death of innocent people. The terrorist’s ideology is flawed and unjust and could not be used to justify their immoral actions. The best way to end terrorism is to assassinate the leader and to start abolishing the Taliban by all means. |
Osam Bin ladinWe throw around the phrase that nobody deserves to die, create compromises for the few exceptions that greet history with violence. One can name the obvious subjects; Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, and more recently Osama Bin Laden. The founder and leader of the terrorist group AL Qaeda; Osama was a fugitive, criminal, murderer, and cunning terrorist that instilled fear into the many people of America. So, was his death justified (Library)?
Considering his actions in the past most would definitely argue that the good for nothing terrorist deserved to die. The real question to be asked is what good did Osama’s execution truly bring? Terrorism still exists in the Middle East, the wars that were thought to be ended are followed by more, and still today America cannot get a grasp at the idea that before fixing the problems of other countries, they should begin by reforming their own, most preferably in the crime department (Jason). The death of Osama Bin Laden was not the death of terrorism but the death of an idea (Laure). It justifies nothing but fake comfort through the media to the public, and in the end was a large hassle that was a waste of money, waste of men, and a waste of valuable time that could’ve have been put to good use, for example explaining to the American soldiers that maybe, just maybe, the reason Al Qaeda was not very fond of American soldiers was probably due to the fact that every American soldier wants to put every Pakistani in lethal danger. America made the mistake of pursuing the one person that was more of a terrorist icon rather than a terrorist mastermind that would put an end to all terrorism in the world. Was his death justified? Technically and legally very much so, but in terms of justifying the war, the country, or the United States, his death was just one of another thousands of terrorists. |
The War on the DefenselessIs the bombing and killing of thousands of citizens a righteous way to defend your country? Events, such as 9/11, have forever affected our perception of Afghanistan. Al-Qaeda may see this as a just way to defend their country. The Al-Qaeda’s use of terrorism is costly and ineffective way of defending their country. Instead of using military groups, such as the Al-Qaeda, they should have a strong centralized military. This would require government reform and also a strong military.
Terrorism leads to the death of many innocent civilians who aren’t directly involved in the war. It’s also a very ineffective way to defeat the attacking country. Even though it scares the citizens the military won’t stop fighting. This could also lead to an even stronger attack on Afghanistan and could even lead to the death of the terrorists themselves. For example, Abdullah Yusuf Azzam was assassinated due to his car exploding in Peshawar (Stanley). Terrorism only causes grief and anger at the cost of their own people and the people from the other countries. Without a strong military a country is unable to defend itself. Terrorist groups like the Al-Qaeda and the Taliban are an insufficient source for protection and they contribute little to nothing regarding public safety, sometimes becoming a threat. Their foundational beliefs also affect their views. Religion is a prime motivator for terrorism. Osama bin Laden, one of the founders of the Al-Qaeda, was very religiously motivated (A Biography of Osama Bin Laden). A defense built on religion rather than logic will cost the lives of innocent people, as manifested to us through terrorist attacks. Although Terrorism, as the name implies, instills terror in its victims it will not end a war nor stop the invasion of their country. Religion could be interpreted in many ways. Specifically, the Qur’an could be interpreted to condone or defy violence. This makes religion an unstable foundation for a military to be built upon. This problem could be solved by a strong central military controlled by the government. A military controlled by the right government can do much more than a group of people with guns. A more direct approach, fighting army against army, is less costly and saves the lives of innocent people. This could be achieved by getting a strong government, leading to a stronger military. There are two ways to get a strong government, reform and education. With Afghanistan’s corrupt government measures toward reform must be taken. A weak government offers little protection. The most important reform is to separate religion from the government and removing obsolete ideas. This would allow many opportunities for the people in Afghanistan. The Islamic religion should be followed in their own personal lives. This would allow better ways to govern a country and giving more opportunities to other people. Holding on to traditional ideas could cause a country to fall behind on the current, better, ways to govern a country. Learning from more developed countries; Afghanistan should reform its government using methods that have worked in the past. For example, separating religion and the government. Religion oppresses opportunities for women’s education. Education, another method in modernizing government, could be used to create efficient leaders and smart subjects. Education could help people make better political decisions. With a strong and honest government, education will enable people to make the right decisions for their own country. Education allows people to choose the right leader, thinking ahead, rather than choosing a leader out of short-term benefits. Reform and education could be accomplished using influences from other countries or a revolution. Although this could be a lengthy process, reform and education are the best chances to instill a stable and strong government, ultimately leading to a strong military. Terrorism is an invalid way of defending a country. A more rational solution is to create a stronger military, leading to a stronger military. Education and reform is essential to create the optimal government, which utilizes the citizens. Although Afghanistan may still be influenced by religion having a strong government and educated citizens will allow Afghanistan to protect and advance as a country. With a strong military the use of terrorism would become obsolete. |
Origins on the Al-QaedaAfghanistan has been exposed to countless wars and internal turmoil over the last century and has contains all the right requirements for the birth of a terrorist groups backed by Islamic extremist beliefs. However, over the years, there are many varying theories forming that speculate the origins a development of the Al-Qaeda group. The secrecy of the infamous Al-Qaeda group has left many to speculate whether the constant foreign invaders or religious zeal sparked the formation of this militant group and I believe that their extremist Islamic beliefs fueled their devastating terrorist attacks.
The Al-Qaeda has been subjected to many different stories and explanations behind their origins and creation of the terrorist group. Not only that, this topic has been exposed to constant controversy due to the secrecy of the Al-Qaeda. During the 1980’s, the United States and USSR, currently Russia, were locked in the Cold War (“The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan and the U.S. Response, 1978-1980”). The United States were advocating for a capitalist society run by democracy, on the other hand, the USSR were trying to convert other nations into a Socialist government (“The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan and the U.S. Response, 1978-1980”). Once news of Russia’s invasion on Afghanistan hit the United States, Reagan, the president of the United States during that time, claimed that the USSR were the “evil empire” and found USSR’s actions deplorable; however United States wasn’t involved in the invasion on a large scale (“The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan and the U.S. Response, 1978-1980”).. But, there are theories that the CIA funded militia groups to combat the Communist Russians invaders (Chossudovsky, Michael). The idea was that the militia groups would fend off any influence of Communism from Afghanistan in order to “contain” the spread of Communism. At first, the plan showed positive results and the Afghanistan government was able to thwart off the foreign invaders. Overtime, the militia groups began to take that funding received from the CIA to fit their own agenda and the funds provided a foundation for the Al-Qaeda to begin their operations (Chossudovsky, Michael). Personally, the Al-Qaeda is more of an ideology that Muslims have taken up in order to combat and push out any western influence from Islamic societies (Burke, Jason). The reason being is that western influence is considered corrupt and a disease that taints the teachings of Muhammad by westernizing the Islamic faith (Burke, Jason). Additionally, the constant wars that Afghanistan was exposed to have fueled the cause of Al-Qaeda. Due to the fact, the wars that Afghanistan were engaged in were a result from Western nations intervening with the affairs of Afghanistan (Burke, Jason). As a result, naturally, resentment for the West has grown in the Afghanistan and anti-American views start to pile up in the hearts of the Afghan people, as they grow weary of war (Burke, Jason). Therefore, the Al-Qaeda’s use of terrorism and violence is to send a message to the world that they are no longer willing to participate in the wars but also that Afghanistan is a prominent Islamic nation that doesn’t want to participate in the Westernization of the world (Burke, Jason). Afghanistan’s past has been scarred with war and Afghanistan was being used as a battle zone for other nations to solve their issues. Among all the stories, the only story with actual evidence is that Al-Qaeda wants to purify their culture through Jihad and other extremist acts of violence. The scenario with the CIA indirectly funding the Al-Qaeda by directing money to the militia groups in Afghanistan during the USSR’s Afghanistan invasion relies too heavily on speculations and controversy. As a result, this account makes it difficult to believe, as there isn’t any hard evidence that was released to the public on these matters, however, the idea of Islamic purification is a movement that many Muslims are willing to support. Due to this fact, there are ideas that the Al-Qaeda is a product of the United States as they funded them to fight the USSR in the invasion; however, the Al-Qaeda is more likely to have resulted to offer protection to the Islamic community of Afghanistan from the West and to use terrorism to spread their agenda. |