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War is a crusade..."We go forward," President Bush assures us, "to defend freedom and all that is good and just in the world." (Hedges, War is a Force p.4)

Once we sign on for war's crusade, once we see ourselves on the side of angels, once we embrace a theological or ideological belief system that defines itself as the embodiment of goodness and light, it is only a matter of how we will carry out murder. (Hedges, War is a Force p.9)

"War on Terror"

Origin

Thrust into the spotlight by President Bush during the week following the 9/11 attacks, the phrase "War on Terror" (also known as the "War on Terrorism") originated long before today. Ian Lustick, author of Trapped in the War on Terror dates the very idea of American "War on Terror" back to the annexation of Texas "In the 1840's [when] a small but single-minded and powerful group of American politicians and activists engineered the annexation of Texas," as "this group of politicians was made mainly of Republican conservatives who used planned objectives to achieve a war to attain the outcomes they wanted." Joseph Wheelan's Jefferson's War: The First War on Terror dates the American usage of the concept back to 1800 with the invasion of foreign soil in the Barbary wars. More recently, with the words "This administration today, here and now, declares unconditional war on poverty in America," President Lyndon Johnson's State of the Union address of January 1964, foreshadowed the concomitant ideology of waging war on intangibles, echoed by Nixon's "War on Cancer" and "War on Drugs" in 1971.

Timeline

1964 | 1986-1988 |2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006-2008

1964

January 8 - President Johnson declares a "War on Poverty" in his State of the Union address beginning the onset of war-on-concepts from the American presidents in times to come.

1986

February 16 - The U.S. ships 1000 anti-tank missiles to Iran.

February 25 - Reagan asks Congress for $100 million in aid for Contras. The House rejects appeal; the Senate approves his request. Bill returns to the House.

May 29 - Colonel Oliver North tells McFarlane that profits of weapons sales to Iran are being diverted to the Contras.

June 25 - The House finally passes the Contra aid package by 12 votes. Reagan calls it "a step forward in bipartisan consensus in American foreign policy."

August 27 - President Reagan signs an anti-terrorism law that bans arms sales to nations that support terrorism, and strengthens U.S. anti-terrorist measures. Reagan Timeline

September - Former National Security Advisor WilliamMcFarlane takes 23 tons of weapons to Iran.

October 30 - 500 anti-tank missiles shipped to Iran.

November 3 - Lebanese magazine "Al Shiraa" reports that the U.S. has sold arms to Iran. The Iranian government confirms the story. This marks the beginning of Iran-Contra.

November 13 - In a nationally televised speech to defend against charges concerning arms sales to Iran, Reagan admits sending some defensive weapons and spare parts to Iran, but denies it was part of an arms for hostages deal. "Our government has a firm policy not to capitulate to terrorist demands.... We did not -- repeat, did not -- trade weapons or anything else for hostages, nor will we." Polls show that the American people do not believe Reagan.

November 21 - Attorney General Meese is asked to conduct an inquiry of the Iran affair to get facts straight.

November 22 - Meese's office discovers the Iran-Contra connection. When searching North’s office, they found a memo dated 4/4/86 from North to Poindexter, which included an amount that to be sent to the Contras from the profits of the Iran sales. North, who had spent the night shredding papers, later called the diversion of funds, "a neat idea."

November 24 - Meese tells Reagan that some proceeds from the sale of arms to Iran went to the Contras. Reagan is visibly shaken and according to Meese, surprised. He is aware that the diversion of funds could mean impeachment for violation of the Boland Amendment.

November 25 - National Security Advisor John Poindexter resigns and Oliver North is fired. In press conference, Meese announces Iran-Contra: $10m to $30m of profits from sale of U.S. arms to Iran had been diverted to Swiss bank accounts for use by Contra rebels in Nicaragua.

December 1 - Reagan appoints the Tower Commission to review Iran Contra.

December 19 - Independent counsel Lawrence Walsh is appointed to investigate Iran-Contra.

1987

February 2 - Reagan testifies to the Tower Board for a second time. His testimony is inconsistent and confused. The Board pointed out Reagan hadn’t known about August shipment of anti-tank missiles, but Reagan had said he DID know. When asked for an explanation, Reagan picked up a briefing memo he had been provided and read aloud: "If the question comes up at the Tower Board meeting, you might want to say that you were surprised."

February 20 - A Reagan memo to the Tower Board reads: "I don’t remember, period." "I’m trying to recall events that happened eighteen months ago, I’m afraid that I let myself be influenced by others’ recollections, not my own.... The only honest answer is to state that try as I might, I cannot recall anything whatsoever about whether I approved an Israeli sale in advance or whether I approved replenishment of Israeli stocks around August of 1985. My answer therefore and the simple truth is, ‘I don’t remember, period.’"

February 26 - The Tower Commission report is delivered to Reagan. The report could not link Reagan to diversion of funds from Iran to the Contras. But it concluded that Reagan, confused and unaware, allowed himself to be misled by dishonest staff members who organized the trade of arms to Iran for hostages held in Lebanon and pursued a secret war against the Nicaraguan government. The report charges that Reagan had failed to "insist upon accountability & performance review, " allowing the National Security Council process to collapse. Reagan’s approval rating is down to 42%.

March 4 - On national television, Reagan acknowledges mistakes on Iran-Contra. "A few months ago I told the American people I did not trade arms for hostages. My heart and my best intentions tell me that’s true, but the facts and evidence tell me it is not. As the Tower Board reported, what began as a strategic opening to Iran deteriorated, in its implementation, into trading arms for hostages. This runs counter to my own beliefs, to administration policy, and to the original strategy we had in mind. There are reasons why it happened, but no excuses. It was a mistake." Reagan’s approval rating rebounds to 51%.

May 17 - A missile from an Iraqi warplane hits the U.S.S. "Stark," killing the 37 sailors onboard. The frigate is part of a naval task force which was sent to the Persian Gulf to keep the waterway open during the Iran-Iraq war.

August 3 - Congress completes its public hearings on Iran-Contra. "We may never know with precision or truth why it ever happened." Meanwhile, Reagan’s close aides Lyn Nofziger and Michael Deaver are convicted of influence peddling. Meese is investigated and cleared. Nofziger’s conviction is overturned on appeal.

1988

March 16: Oliver North, John Poindexter, and two others are indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiring to defraud the U.S. government by secretly providing funds and supplies to the Contra rebels fighting the government of Nicaragua.

TOP TIMELINE

2001

September 11 - Attacks are made on the World Trade Center and Pentagon by terrorists.

September 12 - Bush Declares War
President Bush announces, "The deliberate and deadly attacks which were carried out yesterday against our country were more than acts of terror. They were acts of war."War Timeline

September 14 - Congress Authorizes Military Response
Congress passes resolution authorizing President Bush "to use all necessary and appropriate force" against the perpetrators of the September 11 attacks, their sponsors, and those who protected them. The bill passes the Senate by a vote of 98-0 and the House by a vote of 420-1.

September 18 - The Justice Department publishes an interim regulation allowing non-citizens suspected of terrorism to be detained without charge for 48 hours or "an additional reasonable period of time" in the event of an "emergency or other extraordinary circumstance." The new rule is used to hold hundreds indefinitely until the USA Patriot Act passes in October.

September 20 - "Freedom and fear are at war." Bush Addresses joint session of Congress Bush outlines his war plan to a joint session of Congress. Just before he delivers his speech, he instructs the military to begin planning for war. The president proposes a new Office of Homeland Security.

September 21 - Chief United States Immigration Judge Michael Creppy issues a directive instructing immigration judges to close cases that might be of "special interest" to the September 11 investigation to all members of the press and public.

October 7 - The military phase of the War Against Terrorism begins under the name "Operation Enduring Freedom" setup to dismantle the Taliban regime, harboring al Qaeda.

October 8 - Bush establishes the Office of Homeland Security in the Executive Office.

October 20 - The New York Times reports that, although 830 people have been arrested in the 9/11 investigation, there is no evidence that anyone in custody was a conspirator in the 9/11 attacks.

October 26 - Patriot Act signed "to deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world," known by its other title of "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism."

October 31 - Ashcroft announces the creation of a Foreign Terrorist Tracking Force, which effectively institutionalizes his strategy of mass preventive detention of noncitizens in order to "enhance our ability to protect the United States from the threat of terrorist aliens."

November 13 - President Bush authorizes a Military Order establishing military tribunals to try suspected terrorists. Anyone held under the Military Order can be detained indefinitely without charge or trial.

December 4 - Senate holds hearings on 9/11 detainees. Ashcroft testifies that those who question his policies are "aiding and abetting terrorism," and goes largely unchallenged.

TOP TIMELINE

2002

January 9 - The White House declares that the Guantanamo detainees are, as "enemy combatants," not entitled to the protections accorded prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions.

January 16 - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says of the (by now 80 or so) detainees at Guantanamo Bay, "I do not feel the slightest concern at their treatment. They are being treated vastly better than they treated anybody else."

January 22 - A memo from Assistant Attorney General Jay S. Bybee argues that the War Crimes Act and the Geneva Convention did not apply to al Qaeda prisoners and that President Bush had constitutional authority to "suspend our treaty obligations toward Afghanistan" because it was a "failed state."

May 3 - A University of Michigan poll finds that a majority of Americans, post-9/11, would give up some civil liberties in the name of greater security.

July 16 - Terrorism Information and Prevention System (TIPS) announced. The program is to allow volunteers, whose routines make them well-positioned to recognize suspect activities, to report what they see to the Justice Department.

August 26 - The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit rules that the press and public must be allowed to witness immigration hearings for suspects detained in the Sept. 11 investigation, strongly rebuking the Bush administration for its policy of maximum secrecy in the war on terrorism. "Democracies die behind closed doors," wrote the senior judge in the court's opinion.

November 25 - President Bush signs the Homeland Security Act of 2002, establishing the Department of Homeland Security.

TOP TIMELINE

2003

March 11 - A federal appeals court rules that the 650 Guantanamo detainees have no legal rights in the United States and may not ask courts to review their detentions.

March 17 - Homeland Security Department commences Operation Liberty Shield, an increase in protective measures to defend the homeland coinciding with the commencement of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

March 19 - President Bush launches Operation Iraqi Freedom to end the regime of Saddam Hussein and its support of terrorism.

April 2 - House passage of the $79 billion Wartime Supplemental Appropriations bill to provide crucial funding for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

May 1 - The Terrorist Threat Integration Center begins operations.

May 28 - Amnesty International Press Release: "The 'war on terror', far from making the world a safer place, has made it more dangerous by curtailing human rights, undermining the rule of international law and shielding governments from scrutiny. It has deepened divisions among people of different faiths and origins, sowing the seeds for more conflict. The overwhelming impact of all this is genuine fear -- among the affluent as well as the poor."

December 13 - Saddam Hussein is captured.

TOP TIMELINE

2004

January 5 - The ACLU warns that a new immigrant tracking program, known as US VISIT, would increase confusion among immigrants coming to America, and would primarily target Arabs and Muslims.

January 26 - A federal judge declares a portion of the USA Patriot Act unconstitutional. The section in question bars anyone from giving advice or assistance to groups designated as terrorist organizations. It is the first time a court has declared part of the Act unconstitutional.

April 20 - The Supreme Court begins hearing oral arguments on the status of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The court gets ready to consider whether the United States government can hold foreign nationals as "enemy combatants" without hearings and without charges.

May 6 - Brandon Mayfield, a lawyer living in Oregon, is arrested after the FBI reportedly finds his fingerprints on a bag containing detonating devices in Madrid. Mayfield is held for two weeks as a material witness, without access to his family. Two weeks later, on May 21, Spanish authorities announce that the fingerprinting ID was incorrect.

June 28 - The Supreme Court decides three landmark cases in the war on terror:
Of the three decisions, that of Hamdi et al v. Rumsfeld turned out to be the most significant.

The case concerned the fate of Esam Hamdi, an American citizen captured in Afghanistan and held in a Navy brig in South Carolina. The administration had argued that the president had the right to designate any American an "enemy combatant" without first consulting the courts. The Supreme Court's 8 to 1 majority opinion concluded that while the president could keep Hamdi away from the battlefield, that detention could last only until the end of "active combat operations in Afghanistan." After that time, Hamdi must be granted a trial and legal counsel in order to contest his status as an "enemy combatant."

In Rasul v. Bush, the Supreme Court granted foreign nationals detained at Guantanamo the right to file lawsuits to contest both their detentions and conditions at the base.

In Rumsfeld v. Padilla et al, the court essentially punted, arguing that Jose Padilla should have brought his case before South Carolina, where he is being held indefinitely. Nevertheless, Padilla's case will likely resolve itself along the lines of Hamdi, meaning that Padilla will get to contest his status as an "enemy combatant" before civilian courts.

July 8 - President Bush vows to veto a Congressional spending bill if it includes an amendment to curb features of the Patriot Act. The amendment eventually fails on a 210-210 vote, with the Republican leadership holding the floor open for longer than the traditional 15 minutes in order to get the votes it needed. The amendment would have limited the Justice Department's ability to force book dealers, librarians, and others to surrender records.

September 21 - Yusuf Islam, Islam convert, peace activist, and singer known as Cat Stevens, is diverted on his flight from London to the United States. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge accuses Islam of having an "unspecified relationship with terrorist activity." Islam was denied entry to the United States when the diverted aircraft landed in Maine. He is taken to Boston and Washington.

September 22 - Yusuf Islam is sent back home to London on another United flight from Dulles International Airport. US government officials determined he was on the government's "no-fly" antiterror list, however he was allowed to board the plane in Britain due to a spelling error. "Yousouf Islam" is on the no-fly registry, but the British passport of the former Cat Stevens has the name "Yusuf Islam". TSA alleges that Islam has links to terrorist groups, which he has denied. (CNN)

September 30 - A federal judge in New York rules unconstitutional a portion of the USA Patriot Act that allows the FBI to demand information from Internet service providers without judicial oversight or public review. (Most of Judge Victor Marrero's ruling, however, did not focus on the Patriot Act, but rather earlier statutes upon which the Patriot Act expanded.) John Ashcroft promises to appeal the decision.

November 17 - The Department of Homeland security requires that its 180,000 employees and contractors sign a secrecy pledge, covering sensitive but unclassified information.

December 18 - The U.S. government cuts the satellite feed of al-Manar, Hizbullah's television station. The administration declares the station a "terror organization."

TOP TIMELINE

2005

January 1 - The Washington Post reports that the administration is preparing long-range plans to hold indefinitely those detainees whom it does not want to set free or turn over to the courts.

January 18 - White House counsel Alberto Gonzales says that the CIA and other nonmilitary personnel are not bound by a 2002 presidential directive that pledged the humane treatment of prisoners in American custody. Gonzales also claims that a Congressional ban on cruel, unusual treatment had a "limited reach" and did not apply in all cases to "aliens overseas."

TOP TIMELINE

2006-2008

April 2007 - Democratic Presidential Debate
Six years after the 9/11 attacks, the term "war on terror" was fading from the accepted political lexicon. When NBC anchor Brian Williams asked the Democratic candidates to raise their hands if they "believe there is such a thing as a global war on terror," only half of the participants in the April 2007 Democratic debate raised their hands.

April 17, 2007 - British Shed "War on Terror" language

June 12, 2008 - Boumediene et. al. v. Bush, President of the United States
The Supreme Court strikes down the military commissions President Bush established to try suspected members of al-Qaeda, rejecting an anti-terrorism measure and the assertion of unchecked executive power. (Washington Post )

July 21, 2008 - Tribunal Begins For Bin Laden's Former Driver
Salim Ahmed Hamdan pled not guilty at his terrorism trial in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Military prosecutors say that when Hamdan was captured in Afghanistan in November 2001, he was on his way to a battlefront with two surface-to-air missiles in his car. Prosecutors say the Yemeni citizen was part of bin Laden's inner circle, and as such, was party to the planning for al-Qaida attacks, including the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.

August 6, 2008 - Bin Laden Driver Convicted Of Supporting Al-Qaida
Salim Hamdan, Osama bin Laden's former driver, was convicted of providing material support for terrorism but found not guilty of conspiracy by a panel of six military officers at Guantanamo Bay. Hamdan, a Yemeni, is the first person to face a U.S. war crimes tribunal since World War II. His 10-day trial is the first demonstration of a special U.S. system for prosecuting alleged terrorists at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. The Pentagon-selected jury deliberated for about eight hours over three days before reaching its verdict.

August 7, 2008 - Bin Laden's Driver Sentanced
Although the sentance could have been up to serving for life, a military jury has handed Salim Hamdan a 5 1/2-year sentence. Hamdan, a Yemeni with a fourth-grade education, will get credit for the 61 months he has already spent in custody while awaiting trial, according to the military judge, Navy Capt. Keith Allred. It's unclear what will happen to Hamdan after he serves the time ordered Thursday. The U.S. government has, however, argued it can detain Hamdan and other "enemy combatants" indefinitely as long as the war on terrorism continues.

TOP TIMELINE

Timeline Links

Articles

Select "War on Terror" Speeches

Board Games

War on Terror Satirical Board Game - British
Everyone starts with the best intentions. Then things start to get cramped. Then you notice your neighbour has more oil than you. Before long, war is waged, nukes are dropped, revolutions are fought and terrorists are doing your dirty work, before turning on you... This is the War on Terror, the boardgame: A quality boardgame for 2 - 6 players, lovingly illustrated and politically correct (in a very literal sense). Playing it will bring out the nastiest, greediest, darkest, most paranoid aspects of your character. It's all great family fun. (War on Terror Board Game)"You're either with them or against them...or sometimes both!"

Movies

2008 - War, Inc Release: limited May 2008, DVD October 14, 2008
A political satire set in Turaqistan, a country occupied by an American private corporation run by a former US Vice-President (Aykroyd). In an effort to monopolize the opportunities the war-torn nation offers, the corporation's CEO hires a troubled hit man (Cusack), to kill a Middle East oil minister. Now, struggling with his own growing demons, the assassin must pose as the corporation's Trade Show Producer in order to pull off this latest hit, while maintaining his cover by organizing the high-profile wedding of Yonica Babyyeah (Duff) an outrageous Middle Eastern pop star, and keeping a sexy left wing reporter (Tomei) in check. (imdb.com)
"We're in a constant state of war, Hauser. We kill our brothers, complete strangers, the guilty and the innocent. We are at war with our own hearts. Love is a cease-fire that's destined to fail. But, as I said, it does get us into tricky situations... sometimes the back of a garbage truck."

2007 - Lions for Lambs

Lions for Lambs begins after two determined students at a West Coast University, Arian and Ernest, follow the inspiration of their idealistic professor, Dr. Malley, and attempt to do something important with their lives. But when the two make the bold decision to join the battle in Afghanistan, Malley is both moved and distraught. Now, as Arian and Ernest fight for survival in the field, they become the string that binds together two disparate stories on opposite sides of America. In California, an anguished Dr. Malley attempts to reach a privileged but disaffected student who is the very opposite of Arian and Ernest. Meanwhile, in Washington D.C. the charismatic Presidential hopeful, Senator Jasper Irving, is about to give a bombshell story to a probing TV journalist that may affect Arian and Ernest's fates. (imdb.com)
"Do you want to win the War on Terror? Yes or no?"

Music

Songs About 9/11 And The War On Terror (Rhapsody)

These songs come from both sides of the political isle, a few are politically indifferent. You're sure to love some and you're sure to hate some. Most of them however, will move you in some way. - musicradish.com

 

Video Games

2006 - War on Terror - Monte Cristo Multimedia, Digital Reality


War on Terror is a real-time strategy game with a modern setting, 50 unique units, and three distinct campaigns.

 

 

 

2004 - Kuma/War: The War on Terror - Kuma
Kuma/War: The War On Terror is a compilation of missions that recreate critical battles in Iraq and Afghanistan. Visit the frontlines of the War On Terror, as you get on the ground in real military hot spots. FREE month of Kuma/War online service - 3 new missions delivered each month

 

 

2003 - Fugitive Hunter: The War on Terror (PSP) - Thames and Cosmos
Originally picked up by Infogrames but later published by Encore, Fugitive Hunter is a realistic first-person shooter from the same team responsible for X-Files: Resist of Serve and Black Dawn. Set in modern day, War on Terror allows players to travel to locales such as Afghanistan, Utah, Paris, and Miami, as they follow a criminal trail that leads all the way to the Al-Kaeda madman Osama Bin Laden. Features include an extensive behind-the-scenes library of videos, a third-person hand-to-hand mini-game, and 11 different terrorist leaders to hunt down including Bin Laden himself. Available exclusively for the PlayStation 2.

Upcoming Books

Pollack, Kenneth M. A Path Out of the Desert: A Grand Strategy for America in the Middle East. (Random House). Release: July 15, 2008
The controversy over Iraq and the war on terror dominates "A Path Out of the Desert: A Grand Strategy for America in the Middle East" (Random House) by Kenneth M. Pollack, a leading policy analyst who believes promoting reform in the region is crucial to America's goals. (LA Times)

 

 

 

Mayer, Jane. The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned Into a War on American Ideals. (Doubleday) Release: July 15, 2008. A dramatic and damning narrative account of how America has fought the "War on Terror" THE DARK SIDE will chronicle real, specific cases, shown in real time against the larger tableau of what was happening in Washington, looking at the intelligence gained--or not--and the price paid. In some instances, torture worked. In many more, it led to false information, sometimes with devastating results. For instance, there is the stunning admission of one of the detainees, Sheikh Ibn al-Libi, that the confession he gave under duress--which provided a key piece of evidence buttressing congressional support of going to war against Iraq--was in fact fabricated, to make the torture stop. (Amazon.com)

 

Hennessy, Peter. "The New Protective State: Government, Intelligence and Terrorism." (Continuum) Release: July 10, 2008
"The New Protective State" examines the effect of anti-terrorism policies on civil liberties. (LA Times)

 

 

 

 

Links

  • Electronic Iraq is a news portal committed to providing a uniquely comprehensive look at Iraq and the violence that has engulfed it. eIraq was launched in February 2003 to provide a humanitarian perspective on the looming conflict in Iraq. The site quickly became a respected and vital resource unparalleled in its track record of providing news and analysis with a fresh and unique focus on the experiences of the Iraqi people enduring the daily tragedy and chaos of war.



  • PBS Frontline - Campaign Against Terror
  • National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism
    The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terror (START) is a U.S. Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence, tasked by the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate with using state-of-the-art theories, methods, and data from the social and behavioral sciences to improve understanding of the origins, dynamics, and social and psychological impacts of terrorism. START, based at the University of Maryland, College Park, aims to provide timely guidance on how to disrupt terrorist networks, reduce the incidence of terrorism, and enhance the resilience of U.S. society in the face of the terrorist threat.