The Global War on Terrorism, also known as the War on Terror, was a series of military operations initiated by the United States Government in response to the September 11 attack. The campaign targeted major organizations such as Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, the Islamic State, the Pakistani Taliban, and their derivatives. The War on Terror received immediate criticism regarding its name, as many people noted that the concept of war does not apply to a conflict with no identifiable enemy. There have also been concerns regarding the efficiency of the whole endeavor. This paper will explain why the war on terror was not a success from the sociological perspective, focusing on three main elements: an international reputation, costs, and lack of results.
The Global War on Terrorism was initially supported almost unanimously by people in all major countries. The US population was also encouraging their troops by putting yellow ribbons on their vehicles (Barkan, 2017). However, in the later years, the approval of the war began to decline, as it became apparent that the perpetual combat in Iraq only brought more hatred towards the American nation. The War on Terror ultimately had a significant adverse effect on the global reputation of the United States.
The internal expenditures of the war compared to its results have been outrageously high. The cost of the War on Terror is estimated to be around $3 trillion, and the necessity of the war remains debatable to this day (Barkan, 2017). The response to the 9/11 tragedy is now called “over-hyped,” as the sacrifices made in every other part of the US were too great for the relatively minor national security improvements that they brought (Barkan, 2017). It seems that the operation was focused on one issue, while more crucial external and internal problems were left unattended.
References
Barkan, S. E. (2017). Social Problems: Continuity and Change. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.