War On Terrorism
Introduction
The War on Terror was started by the events of September 11th, 2001 and july
7th
, 2005. Since then the foreign policy of the
US and UK has
been much changed. In the UK it is now legal
to hold a terror suspect in
jail for over one month without pressing
charges, something unheard of
in 2000. In May 2003, Amnesty International
charged the War on Terror
with, instead of building a safer world, “has
made it more dangerous by
curtailing human rights” (War on Terror). They
also claimed that, far
from the original goals, the war has made
people more fearful, as well as
deepening divisions between people of
different faiths and origins. The
War on Terror has made foreign policy more
stringent on people who are
of the Islamic faith, and has led to hate
between different cultural
groups, as well as the downfall of modern
human rights.
Blame
The first name that comes to mind when you hear War on
Terror is
probably Osama Bin Laden. Many think he is to
blame for all of this fear,
yet this is not so. The three people to blame
for the deepening uncertainty and fear are former President of the US George
Bush, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, as well as former
Vice-President Dick
Cheney. As stated in an essay regarding
executive power after 9/11, “the
Bush administration’s anti-terrorism practices
represent a stunning assault on basic principles of justice, government
accountability, and the
role of the courts, this was a reply to a
statement Bush made to a 2002 graduating class from West Point Military
Academy. Even Walter Murphy, a constitutional
law scholar at Princeton
has criticized Bush for abusing the
constitution. Some time after this, he
found out he was on the “terrorist watch list”
and learned that attacking
the President (even verbal attacks) will ban
you from flying (Murphy,
2007). Another shocking discovery is that the
Pentagon is watching peace
marchers, and thousands have been placed on
no-fly lists, which are
very hard to get off of (War on Terror). Meanwhile,
in the UK, legislation
has passed to allow terror suspects to be held
for forty-two days without
charge, lengthening that duration by two weeks
(Home and dry, just). As
stated in Article 6 of the UNDHR, “everyone
has the right to recognition
everywhere as a person before the law,” and
Article 19, “everyone has
the right to freedom of opinion and
expression,” and, as a result, both
the American and British laws are in violation
of human rights
(UNDHR). Some have even gone so far as to say
the War on Terror has
led to what could be described as a War on
Freedom.
Ignoring Human Rights?
Amnesty International has condemned the events of 9/11, and
“calls
in the strongest terms for those responsible
to be brought to justice,” besides “argue[ing]s that the response to these
crimes must be conducted
in strict conformity with international human
rights standards,”
(Amnesty International: Human Rights
Backlash). Amnesty International
has also claimed that the War on Terror is
really a War on Freedom, this
claim supported by their ideals of human
rights, and the fact that the
main forces in the War on Terror are totally
ignoring human rights. After
a brief look at the former DCI Michael
Hayden’s comments about the
threat of Al-Qa’ida, one can easily see that the
US will stop at nothing to
bring this global jihad to an end (CIA). The
Department of Homeland Security was created only for the task of
counter-terrorism. This War on
Terror has taken its toll on human rights, and
this war looks like it will
now be won by which side takes away more
freedom from the people.
Conclusion
The War on Terror has made the people world
feel as is they are in a
dangerous place, especially those of Islamic
faith, and has created a
counter-terrorism oriented foreign policy.
There are a few former world
leaders who started the War on Terror, and
many organizations that have
responded to the reaction of global terrorism,
but, above all, the War on
Terror has taken away our rights as humans.
This War on Terror really is a
War on Freedom.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Using the Internet
We all love being on our laptop, smart phones and ipads,
the internet is the big reason behind us spending so much time on these
gadgets. The internet is probably one of the greatest inventions of the
century. Before this invention we had to go to the library to do our research
but now, all we have to do is go to Google and do our research. We can do many
things with the internet; we can shop, chat with your friends in Face book or
Skype, watch videos in YouTube, earn money from blogging, and many more!
The internet is really useful and has a lot of advantages,
but there are also some disadvantages of using it. Ones need to be very alert
when using the internet. Check out this list of advantages and disadvantages of
the internet:
Advantages
Faster Communication
The foremost target of Internet has always been speedy communication and it has
excelled way beyond the expectations. New innovations are only going to make it
faster and more reliable. Now, you can communicate in a fraction of second with
a person who is sitting in the other part of the world. With the help of such
services, it has become very easy to establish a kind of global friendship
where you can share your thoughts and explore other cultures.
Information Resources
Information is probably the biggest advantage that Internet offers. Internet is
a virtual treasure trove of information. Any kind of information on any topic
under the sun is available on the Internet. The search engines like Google,
Yahoo are at your service on the Internet. There is a huge amount of
information available on the Internet for just about every subject known to
man, ranging from government law and services, market information, new ideas
and technical support. Today, it is almost required that students should use it
for research or the purpose of gathering resources.
Entertainment
Entertainment is another popular reason why many people prefer to
surf the Internet. In fact, the Internet has become quite successful in
trapping the multifaceted entertainment industry. Downloading games or just
surfing the celebrity websites are some of the uses people have discovered.
Even celebrities are using the Internet effectively for promotional campaigns.
Social Networking
One cannot imagine an online life without
Facebook or Twitter. Social networking has become so popular amongst youth that
it might one day replace physical networking. It has evolved as a great medium
to connect with millions of people with similar interests. Apart from finding
long-lost friends, you can also look for a job, business opportunities.
Online Services
The Internet has made life very convenient. With numerous online services you
can now perform all your transactions online. You can book tickets for a movie,
transfer funds, pay utility bills, taxes etc., and right from your home.
Disadvantages
Theft of Personal Information
If you use the Internet for online banking, social networking or other
services, you may risk a theft to your personal information such as name,
address, credit card number etc. People can access this information through
unsecured connections or by planting software and then use your personal
details for their benefit. Needless to say, this may land you in serious
trouble.
Virus Threat
Internet users are often plagued by virus attacks on their systems. Virus
programs are inconspicuous and may get activated if you click a seemingly
harmless link. Computers connected to the Internet are very prone to targeted
virus attacks and may end up crashing.
Pornography
Pornography is perhaps the biggest
disadvantage of the Internet. Internet allows you to access and download millions
of pornographic photos, videos and other X-rated stuff. Such unrestricted
access to porn can be detrimental for children and teenagers.
Social Disconnect
Thanks to the Internet, people now only meet on
social networks. More and more people are getting are drifting apart from their
friends and family. Even children prefer to play online games rather than going
out and mingling with other kids.
With all its falls the internet has the
potential to make your life simple and convenient, as well as wreak havoc in
your life. Its influence is mostly dictated by the choices you make while you
are online. With clever use, you can manage to harness its unlimited potential.