Terrorism - a Threat to Civilization and Global Order

Justin Brog

12/11/16

IR 019

Terrorism: A Threat to Civilization and Global Order

        When terrorism is talked about in today’s culture, people seem to think that it is a relatively new threat. The first thing that comes to most people’s minds (including mine) when the word ‘terrorism’ is brought up, is the September 11 terrorist attacks. Even 15 years later, nothing has been done to diminish 9/11’s notoriety in the eyes of the world, nor its ramifications for American foreign policy. In many peoples’ minds, 9/11 encapsulates the very definition of terror. However, history has taught us that the phenomenon of modern terrorism has undertaken many guises since its inception, stemming from the Reign of Terror instigated by Maximillian Robespierre in Post-Revolutionary France. Somewhere along the line, the concept of terrorism experienced an overhaul in its definition. Nowadays it is commonly perceived, per Hoffman’s definition of terrorism, as an act of aggression, or threat thereof, committed by a non-state group for political purposes with the intention of igniting terror amongst the people. Over the last several decades, terrorism seems not just more lethal and more common, but more widespread and is increasingly becoming the strategy of choice by various groups to advance their political agenda. To measure how high of a threat terrorism is to civilization and global order, we must analyze how much resources are allocated to stopping it, how high of a priority on political agendas it is, and what tactics are employed to counter it.

The United States government spends an obsessive amount of attention and an enormous amount of resources on counter-terrorism. According to a Department of Defense Budget Report, the U.S. will spend about $73.7 billion-dollars this year on counter-terrorism efforts. This amount includes ongoing training efforts in Afghanistan, as well as training and equipment for Iraqi and Syrian opposition forces. It also includes support for NATO, and responses to terrorist threats. This amount does not even include budgets for domestic efforts, such as airport security and intelligence networks. Many people complain about waiting in long security lines at the airport, and how the government is “watching” everything we do. Personally, I feel safer knowing that our government is spending the necessary resources to protect us. We discussed in class how freedom is something that we should not take for granted and that we end up giving away a lot of freedom in return for more government regulation that may, or may not, be effective in fighting domestic terrorism. However, as long as the government has intentions not to take advantage of this mass data collection, I believe that even if one life is saved, the government looking at my text messages (they would probably get a good laugh) and arriving at the airport 2 hours before actual departure is worth the minor inconvenience.

Terrorism should be a top priority in this country. Because of the amount of resources we spend on counter terrorism, I believe that the United States should not consider terrorism any more, or less, of a priority than it is already. However, I also believe that we should shift more priority to preventing domestic terrorism. Contrary to what some people want to believe, the threat of terrorism can stem both domestically and abroad. A handful of events since 9/11, including the deadly rampages at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin and at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, raise questions about whether we're paying enough attention to domestic terrorism following the September 11th attacks. The emphasis of counterterrorism policy since 9/11 has been on jihadist transnational terrorism, despite the fact that domestic terrorists have been responsible for more than two-dozen incidents since 9/11. Also, I believe that the government should put more of a priority on figuring out why these attacks happen. After watching the Timothy McVeigh video in class, I was shocked about his thinking process. Even with good social scientific research, the psychology of terrorism is very difficult to study and varies per person. Although this idea might be a little far-fetched, I believe that, through intelligence, the U.S. government should attempt to seek out those that have extreme views against our government. Then, without any sort of punishment/use of unwarranted force, help them mentally, such as government sponsored therapy sessions. Even without the use of intelligence, giving more funding to agencies that help veterans can also help prevent potential attacks due to many of the domestic terrorists having military backgrounds. If we want to give ourselves the best chance at preventing future terrorist attacks, I believe putting more of a priority on domestic terrorism is necessary.