32.1 The War on Terror

Learning Objectives

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Discuss how the United States responded to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001
• Explain why the United States went to war against Afghanistan and Iraq
• Describe the treatment of suspected terrorists by U.S. law enforcement agencies and the U.S. military

As a result of the narrow decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in Bush v. Gore, Republican George W. Bush was declared the winner of the 2000 presidential election with a majority in the Electoral College of 271 votes to 266, although he received approximately 540,000 fewer popular votes nationally than his Democratic opponent, Bill Clinton’s vice president, Al Gore. Bush had campaigned with a promise of “compassionate conservatism” at home and nonintervention abroad. These platform planks were designed to appeal to those who felt that the Clinton administration’s initiatives in the Balkans and Africa had unnecessarily entangled the United States in the conflicts of foreign nations. Bush’s 2001 education reform act, dubbed No Child Left Behind, had strong bipartisan support and reflected his domestic interests. But before the president could sign the bill into law, the world changed when four American airliners were hijacked and used in the single most deadly act of terrorism in the United States. Bush’s domestic agenda quickly took a backseat, as the president swiftly changed course from nonintervention in foreign affairs to a “war on terror.”

9/11

Shortly after takeoff on the morning of September 11, 2001, teams of hijackers from the Islamist terrorist group al-Qaeda seized control of four American airliners. Two of the airplanes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan. Morning news programs that were filming the moments after the first impact, then assumed to be an accident, captured and aired live footage of the second plane, as it barreled into the other tower in a flash of fire and smoke. Less than two hours later, the heat from the crash and the explosion of jet fuel caused the upper floors of both buildings to collapse onto the lower floors, reducing both towers to smoldering rubble. The passengers and crew on both planes, as well as 2,606 people in the two buildings, all died, including 343 New York City firefighters who rushed in to save victims shortly before the towers collapsed.

Timeline of Key Events

Key Terms and Concepts

• War on Terror: The campaign launched by the United States government against terrorism after the September 11 attacks
• al-Qaeda: The Islamist terrorist group responsible for the 9/11 attacks, led by Osama bin Laden
• Department of Homeland Security: Federal department created in 2002 to coordinate domestic security efforts
• Bush v. Gore: The Supreme Court case that decided the outcome of the 2000 presidential election
• No Child Left Behind: Bush’s 2001 education reform act that had strong bipartisan support
• Afghanistan War: U.S. military campaign beginning in 2001 following the 9/11 attacks
• Iraq War: The 2003 invasion of Iraq by coalition forces led by the United States
• Hurricane Katrina: 2005 hurricane that devastated coastal areas of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi
• Affordable Care Act: Healthcare reform legislation passed in 2010 during the Obama administration

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