The beginning of the 21st century was marked by the images broadcast live by TV stations around the world all depicting the crash of the planes into the two towers of the World Trade Center, on September 11, 2001. The US Army's own headquarters, the Pentagon, was also hit by one of these career planes, carrying the newly installed government of George W. Bush to declare the war on terror.
This war was not aimed at a specific country, but at a practice of political action based on terrorist attacks. It was she who fomented the US government's war policy in the first decade of the 21st century, leading the country to unilaterally declare wars on Afghanistan and Iraq.
George W. Bush, former US president who started the War on Terror.*
THE Bush doctrine (a series of measures adopted by the two governments of George W. Bush in the War on Terror) was characterized, internally, by police measures of control over the the country's population and, externally, by aggressive action against some countries, in line with what was called axis of evil, formed by North Korea, Iran and Iraq.
The first US-led invasion after September 11, 2001 took place in Afghanistan, a country commanded by the Islamic fundamentalist group. Taliban and accused of harboring the troops of the al-Qaeda, responsible for organizing the attacks on American territory. US military action managed to overthrow the Taliban mullahs' government and build a government closer to their interests.
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In 2003, in joint action with England, the Bush government claimed that Iraq, commanded by Saddam Hussein since the late 1970s, it had held a large arsenal of weapons of mass destruction and posed a danger to the world's population. This was the argument for deposing the former Iraqi dictator, who was pursued while Anglo-American troops heavily bombed the country. Found in hiding and sentenced to death, Saddam Hussein was hanged in 2006.
The War on Terror took unilateral actions by the US, as it was not approved by the other member countries of the UN Security Council. The Council's refusal to invade did not stop the US and Britain from invading the Arab country, claiming that there were weapons of mass destruction, which has never been proven.
In addition, the US began to detain alleged terrorism defendants that they had captured around the world in the prison located at the military base in Guantanamo, on the island of Cuba. Located outside US borders, the prison is not subject to the laws of any country, leaving prisoners subject to the rules and judgments of the US Army alone. These measures are harshly criticized, both inside and outside the country, as they do not guarantee minimum rights of defense to prisoners, which is aggravated by the fact that throughout history the successive US governments have always presented themselves as defenders of the freedom of the individuals.
* Image credits:Spirit of America and Shutterstock.com
By Tales Pinto
Graduated in History
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
PINTO, Tales dos Santos. "The US and the War on Terror"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/guerras/os-eua-guerra-ao-terror.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
