PIED 1542 Globalisation
Annotated Bibliography: The Global War on Terror
1610 words
Elvira King
Global War on Terror
Journal Article: Zenko, M. & M A. Cohen. 2012. Clear and Present Safety: The United States Is More Secure Than Washington Thinks. Foreign Affairs pg 79-93
In Zenko and Cohen’s section of American ‘Foreign Affairs’ magazine’s 91st volume, they set out to critically analyse the true extent to which terrorism threatens America, and whether or not threat inflation exists within the Obama Administration. The role of the American media is scrutinised in this article, as both authors seek to identify how reliable or accurate the information is that is released into the public domain.
Zenko and Cohen set out to provide an informative critique of U.S. counterterrorism, claiming that national security experts are little more than scaremongers. A crucial point within the article is their viewpoint on the reasons why U.S. officials assign so much attention and resources to the promotion of public awareness in the face of terror activity. They claim that taking a hard stance on terrorism serves as an electoral pawn for both major U.S political parties. This cynical standpoint gives the reader the impression that they abjectly disagree with the methods and the information presented by the U.S officials in the midst of what both authors see as a U.S dominated global political environment.
Micah Zenko’s Fellowship in the Centre for Preventive Action at the Council on Foreign Relations insinuates that he has a breadth of knowledge on the topic of counterterrorism and so therefore it would seem sensible to assume that his opinion is valuable. Michael A. Cohen is also a Fellow at the Century Foundation, and so his analysis surely constructively aids the reader. Their backgrounds should serve to reinforce their credibility, as it would be imprudent to believe that