The War On Terrorism

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Robert Drozdowski

Political Science 111

Ed Marrits

November 30, 2001

        

        When the United States declared a "war" on international terrorism, President George W. Bush went out of his way to declare that America's fight is not with Islam. There is little doubt that he meant every word every time he said it, and he has repeated himself often in the national and international media since Sept. 11.

        Bush had to reiterate the U.S. position regarding Islam because the high-jackers of the four airplanes were Muslims. Then, the United States declared its war on two Muslim targets: Osama bin Laden, the alleged chief mastermind of terror attacks on the United States for the past several years; and the Taliban regime of Afghanistan, bin Laden's chief supporter and backer. Bush's statement on Islam notwithstanding, the United States will be deeply embroiled in the turbulent world of Islam in the coming years, and chances of winning friends and influencing people there are slim.

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        Two chief partners of America's war on Afghanistan are also Muslim countries - Pakistan and Uzbekistan. Both are non-democratic states; both have witnessed the growing activism of Islamist groups in different ways. The political stability of both these countries in the coming years remains under a heavy cloud of uncertainty.

        Pakistan not only played an important role in the emergence of the Taliban as the rulers of Afghanistan, but it also has used the Islamist groups in its attempts to undermine it all. Then there is that continued symbiotic relationship between the Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI),Pakistan's intelligence agency  and its ...

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