Counterterrorism Strategy for the Next U.S. Presidential Administration Term Paper

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Introduction

One of the goals of the G. W. Bush Administration, which launched the War on Terrorism campaign, was to “end the state sponsorship of terrorism” (White House, 2003). The top goals of the Bush Administration, however, were to defeat Bin Laden and Al-Zarqawi, as well to identify terrorist organizations and demolish them. The first two goals have been accomplished. The latter is dependent upon eradicating state sponsorship of terrorism. Thus, as shall be seen in this strategy paper, ending the state sponsorship of terrorism should be the number one goal of this administration, as state sponsorship is the primary means by which terrorism continues to this day (Malzahn 2002).

Successes and Failures Since 2001

While the U.S. has been successful at defeating terrorists since 9/11, it has not done as well when it comes to defeating the idea of terrorism (Bipartisan Policy Center, 2017). Even though ISIS has been reduced in the Middle East, particularly in Syria, the ideology promoted by ISIS and other jihadists is still spreading around the world. It is important to note, however, that many of these terrorists groups and their organizations would not exist were it not for support either directly or indirectly from the intelligence agencies of Saudi Arabia, Israel, the UK and the U.S. These nations often lend support, training, financing and weapons to “freedom fighters” who end up joining a terrorist organization or who are already part of these groups (Freeman, 2018). Thus, we can continue to wage war against terrorists, but if we continue to supply, arm, train and facilitate individuals and groups who become terrorists all our counterterrorism efforts are for naught.

Successes

Successes since 9/11 include the death of Bin Laden and Al-Zarqawi. Numerous other high-profile terrorists have been killed including thousands of insurgents in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Pakistan (Nordland & Mashal, 2019).

Failures

The war in Afghanistan has not been a success. The Taliban is still in control and currently the U.S. is positioned to negotiate a withdrawal though this goes against recommendations from the Pentagon (Nordland & Mashal, 2019).

Saddam Hussein was captured, tried and executed in Iraq as a result of the U.S. invasion, based on reports that Hussein had mobile weapons labs and was in possession of WMDs—none of which were ever found. The intelligence was later shown to be faulty and Iraq has been destabilized and is on the verge of joining Libya as a failed state. Much of the Middle East has suffered destruction and war, from Syria to Yemen to Africa, as a result (either directly or indirectly) of the War on Terror. The U.S. is wanted out of Iraq by the current Iraqi government. Saudi Arabia and Israel both want the U.S. to wage war on Iran. Russia, Iran, Turkey and Syria all want the U.S. presence of troops out of the area. International relations are at a low. The U.

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S. counterterrorism strategy up to now has thus led to some successes but considerably more failures in terms of lives lost and states destabilized or destroyed altogether, creating hotbeds for future terrorist breeding ground. The failure of the War on Terror can also be quantified in dollar terms: according to most estimates, it has cost the U.S. $6 trillion.

Comparative Analysis

The strategy of the U.S. compared to other countries is enlightening. It has been the U.S. strategy to wage war directly against terrorist groups by bombing campaign, boots on the ground, and indirectly through the use of proxy forces like the Free Syrian Army. This compares not well…

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…such an attack in the U.S. would be intense: businesses would not be able to operated, consumers would not be able to shop, and life would grind to a standstill. Riots could break out in cities as people begin to go hungry, and the U.S. could end up becoming destabilized just like countries in the Middle East.

Another terrorist threat is the drug trafficking that has led to hundreds of thousands of deaths in the U.S. The current trafficking of fentanyl which is 100x stronger than heroin is a major concern and should be viewed as a terrorist threat. It has been shown that much of today’s Fentanyl trafficking is being run through China and the administration should thus consider toughening its stance on China and forcing the country to tighten its oversight in order to prevent drugs like fentanyl from being shipped to the U.S. Terrorism should not be conceived narrowly any longer: it is not just jihadis who use terror—other nation states and non-state-actors use it as well in different ways, such as China with drugs and Anonymous with cyber terrorism. The U.S. should be focusing on these areas after pulling out of the Middle East and cutting all aid to foreign countries.

Conclusion

The administration’s strategic approach to counterterrorism should be to end the state sponsorship of terrorism. The only way to effectively do this is to end all foreign aid. States like Saudi Arabia and Israel will no longer be able to provide funds to terrorist groups as proxy agents to wage their own wars on nations like Yemen or Syria. The U.S. should not be supporting freedom fighters in the Middle East as their connections to terrorists are too well-known. The U.S. should instead focus on cyber terrorism and drug terrorism and began….....

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