2018: Pittsburg Synagogue Shooting: According to Jerrold M., et al Hate, among all our base instincts, is the most distinctly human. In animals, violence and venom are tools of survivals; in humans, of supremacy. Small, scared people hate, self-hating people hate, bullied and betrayed people hate, as though hate will make them large and safe and strong. the shooting at the synagogue of Pittsburgh was a true act of hatred. Robert Gregory Bowers,46-year-old, allegedly blamed Jews for their outreach to refugees and vowed to repel “invaders” moving north through central America as he set off to the synagogue: Anti-Semitism has never eradicated, and probably never could be. It dwells in the crevices and fissures. Largely extinguished in the uppermost reaches of society, it flourishes most among cranks and broken souls on the margins.
Boston Marathon Bombings 2013: was a terrorist attack that occurred on April 15, 2013, by two brothers’ residents of Massachusetts Two pressure cooker homemade bombs went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three spectators and wounding more than 260 people. The Boston Marathon were reportedly motivated by the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as they plotted the attack. The two individuals believed to be responsible for the Boston Marathon bombings have been positively identified as Tsarnaev, now deceased, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, now in custody.
The Oklahoma City bombing: a domestic terrorist truck bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, On April 19, 1995.Perpetrated by American terrorists Timothy Mc Veigh and Terry Nichols, the bombing killed at168 people, including many children, injured more than 680 others, and destroyed more than one third of the building, which had to be demolished (Castaneda, Carol J et al).
Explain if you think that global terrorism can be stopped.
In my opinion I don’t’ think anyone has the capability stopping global terrorism at this point. Terrorism over the years has grown an abundance of efforts by many nations and international organizations to stop development of such groups. This growth is partially attributed to advances in digital technology of communication techniques as social media and web-based content, which has allowed for the spread of these beliefs (Jerrold M., et al). terrorist attack incidents have reduced considerably over the years. Including the terror groups that have been targeting the US and other countries.
Analyze the responsibility of the United States today to be the world’s “policeman.”
The United States has assumed the role of world’s policeman. Citing a moral responsibility . From the foregoing discussion it will be increased greatly in quality. America intervenes in foreign conflicts and wield unprecedented global power. America should invest its resources and energy in global policing or should be the strongest nation ant turn its focus and respect the autonomy of its neighbors.
Assess, if peace and stability in the Middle East are vital to U.S. economy and national
security. Yes, peace and stability are necessary for the well-being of the American economy, as well as its national security. One of the reasons is that the middle East is a major supplier of oil. Stability and the middle East ensures that the world’s energy needs are met. Secondly, the Middle East has been a major source of terrorism against the United States. Stability and peace in this area greatly lessens the threat of terrorism on American soil.
If the United States withdrew its troops from the Middle East tomorrow, would the terrorist threat end. Why or why not?
Keeping the troops in the Middle East will create a difference with troops patrolling the major areas not allowed ISIS to regroup is huge. The spread of Saudi influence in the Middle East has led to the emergence of the most recent virulent form of radical Islamism threatening not only the region but American interest as well (Jerrold M., et al).
Assess if the use of military force is the only way to prevent terrorism. Are there other possible alternatives? Which strategy is best and why?
Preventing Terrorism with the use of soft power. Soft power is an acceptable alternative to the use military power. To achieve soft power or soft war, a country must be able to “obtain the outcomes it wants in world politics. Soft power has always been in the United States arsenal. It reached its peak during the cold war.
References
OpenStax. (2014). 32.1 The War on Terror – U.S. History. Retrieved October 10, 2020, from https://openstax.org/books/us-history/pages/32-1-the-war-on-terror (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Castaneda, Carol J et al. “Oklahoma City Bombing.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, Dec. 2009, www.history.com/topics/1990s/oklahoma-city-bombing.
Jerrold M., et al. “The Changing Face of Terrorism in the 21st Century: The Communications Revolution and the Virtual Community of Hatred.” Wiley Online Library, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 2 June 2014, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/bsl.2123.
Global terrorism is defined as the threatened or actual use of illegal force and violence by a non-state actor to attain a political, economic, religious, or social goal through fear, coercion, or intimidation. (START, 2001). Ideally, the thought of ending such rashness throughout the world and moving towards world peace is preferred, the unfortunate truth is that global terrorism will never truly go away and can not be prevented. Hate, greed, thirst for power, evil, and the sheer enjoyment/willingness to do harm to others are things that, unfortunately, can not and will never be eradicated leading to more death and destruction along the home front and all over the world. For example, the Shooting at Pittsburgh Synagogue took place on Saturday October 27, 2018, which was the Sabbath (hold day for the Jewish community), by Robert Bowers. Mr. Bowers entered the Tree of Life Synagogue and yelled, “All Jews must die”, and opened fire (ADL, n.d.). Actions like these will sadly be forever existent in the world.
There are many different and possible less invasive uses to counteract/prevent terrorism than the use of military force. Some of these alternatives include providing opportunities and support to individuals on a path to, or involved in terrorist activities to refrain, deny terrorism suspects the support, resources and means to organize themselves or to plan and carry out attacks ; preparing for, and protecting against, terrorist attacks, in order to decrease the vulnerability of potential targets, in particular critical infrastructure; pursuing terrorist suspects to apprehend them and bring them to justice; and responding to terrorist attacks through proportionate measures to mitigate the impact of such attacks and to assist victims (OSCE, 2014). I believe the best strategy is to try and eliminate the threat at the source by denying support, resources, and means to organize or plan and carry out attack.
The thought of pulling all of the troops out of the Middle East ending the terrorist threat is one of wishfulness. Because of the attacks from the Middle East and the belief that threats could be squashed, when in reality the fear of the looming threats will always exist, President Bush created the Office of Homeland Security in October 2001. The next year, Congress passed the Homeland Security Act, creating the Department of Homeland Security, which centralized control over a number of different government functions in order to better control threats at home (OpenStax, 2014).
References:
ADL. (n.d.). Shooting at a Pittsburgh Synagogue. Retrieved October 10, 2020, from https://www.adl.org/education/resources/tools-and-strategies/shooting-at-a-pittsburgh-synagogueLinks to an external site.
OpenStax. (2014). 32.1 The War on Terror – U.S. History. Retrieved October 10, 2020, from https://openstax.org/books/us-history/pages/32-1-the-war-on-terrorLinks to an external site.
OSCE. (2014). Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Retrieved October 10, 2020, from https://www.osce.org/Links to an external site.
START. (2001, June 01). Global Terrorism Database (GTD). Retrieved October 10, 2020, from https://www.start.umd.edu/research-projects/global-terrorism-database-gtd
