Terrorism and Counterterrorism in the United States
Terrorism and Counterterrorism in the United States
On September 11th, 2001, at 8:46 AM the United States experienced something that would transform it forever. The first aircraft smashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center and the second hit the South Tower at 9:03. At 9:37 a third airliner hit the Pentagon and at 10:03 the fourth crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. This was a truly sad day when nearly 3,000 people were killed in this violent terrorist act. It has not stopped there. Since 9/11 there have been over 50 terrorist plots that we know about (Mueller). Very few have been effective, and none of which that even come close to matching the devastation caused by the 9/11 attack. The United States can attribute the terrorist 's lack of success to America 's rapid policy changes and implementation of numerous antiterrorism programs. The largest policy implemented is the Uniting (and) Strengthening America (by) Providing Appropriate Tools Required (to) Intercept (and) Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act). The Patriot Act made many changes within the government on what and how they were allowed to monitor and collect communications for intelligence gathering and policing. It also gave powers to the Secretary of the Treasury to monitor and track the movement of money to prevent money laundering, specifically for the purpose of funding terrorism. The act also played a major role in restricting our borders, and better monitoring of foreign nationals within our borders. Lastly it created a multitude of new laws and policies to use against both foreign and domestic terrorism (PATRIOT Act Overview). Although the United States government has done an outstanding job at preventing both foreign and domestic terrorism since 9/11 there are still a number of areas that need addressed such as ensuring that all federal law enforcement agencies are working cohesively, ensuring that the current laws and regulations are not violating the civil
On September 11th, 2001, at 8:46 AM the United States experienced something that would transform it forever. The first aircraft smashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center and the second hit the South Tower at 9:03. At 9:37 a third airliner hit the Pentagon and at 10:03 the fourth crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. This was a truly sad day when nearly 3,000 people were killed in this violent terrorist act. It has not stopped there. Since 9/11 there have been over 50 terrorist plots that we know about (Mueller). Very few have been effective, and none of which that even come close to matching the devastation caused by the 9/11 attack. The United States can attribute the terrorist 's lack of success to America 's rapid policy changes and implementation of numerous antiterrorism programs. The largest policy implemented is the Uniting (and) Strengthening America (by) Providing Appropriate Tools Required (to) Intercept (and) Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act). The Patriot Act made many changes within the government on what and how they were allowed to monitor and collect communications for intelligence gathering and policing. It also gave powers to the Secretary of the Treasury to monitor and track the movement of money to prevent money laundering, specifically for the purpose of funding terrorism. The act also played a major role in restricting our borders, and better monitoring of foreign nationals within our borders. Lastly it created a multitude of new laws and policies to use against both foreign and domestic terrorism (PATRIOT Act Overview). Although the United States government has done an outstanding job at preventing both foreign and domestic terrorism since 9/11 there are still a number of areas that need addressed such as ensuring that all federal law enforcement agencies are working cohesively, ensuring that the current laws and regulations are not violating the civil
Cited: "Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States."National Commission On Terrorist Attacks Upon The United States. The 9/11 Commission, 21 Aug. 2004. Web. 9 Dec. 2012. . Gottlieb, Stuart. "Ch 11: Counterterrorism and the Constitution: Does Providing Security Require a Trade-Off with Civil Liberties." Debating Terrorism and Counterterrorism: Conflicting Perspectives on Causes, Contexts, and Responses. Washington, DC: CQ, 2010. 336-69. Print. Graff, Garrett M. The Threat Matrix: The Fbi at War in the Age of Terror. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2011. Print. Mueller, John. "Terrorism since 9/11: The American Cases." Political Science | OSU. N.p., 17 June 2012. Web. 9 Dec. 2012. . Neumann, P. "Preventing Violent Radicalization in America." Bipartisan Policy Center 's National Security Preparedness Group. June 2011. 09 Dec 2012. "PATRIOT Act Overview." Congressional Digest 83.9 (2004): 258-288. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 Dec. 2012 Williams, Kenneth, Memo to FBI Counterterrorism Department and New York Office. Federal Bureau of Investigation. 10 July 2001. 09 Dec 2012. Print Wright, Lawrence. The Looming Tower: Al-qaeda and the Road to 9/11. New York: Knopf, 2006. Print.