Counterterrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Counterterrorism - Essay Example The government became stricter in implementing rules and evaluating traders, immigrants, and other travelers going inside the country. Drug traffic is also carefully monitored. The military is also taking action in the war against terrorism. A bigger budget is allocated to support the war. Since the terrorist attacks of September 11 , 2001 , Arab, Muslim, Sikh, and South-Asian Americans, and those perceived to be members of these groups, have been the victims of increased numbers of bias-related assaults, threats, vandalism and arson in the United States. In the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks, the United States and other countries around the world were placed on a high state of alert against potential follow-up attacks. It is defined as the unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons. We often hear the term terrorists'' to describe the bad guys or terrorism'' to describe every act that opposes the government. It has been used so loosely that we need to redefine the term to give back its meaning. "This is a proposal to lend some clarity to the definition, and thus hopefully to the use, of the word terrorism. Currently, the term terrorism is applied to the use of force most often on the basis of whether the speaker agrees with the goal of the violence. Hence the expression . One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter." (The Rational Radical, 2001) Homegrown terrorists Most of the time, terrorism is directly associated to the Muslims. Actually, one's conversion to Islam does make him more likely to be a terrorist. It can not be denied that religion greatly influences one's beliefs, morals, ideologies and way of life. Although being a Muslim does not make one an instant terrorist, they are more exposed to the preaching of the Islamic extremists. This makes them more vulnerable, especially because Muslims are noted to be an incredibly united group. They share the same beliefs and goals. One's enemy becomes the enemy of the whole Muslim community. This is why the United States is alarmed by the radicalization of American-Muslim converts. Although the government is doing everything to reinforce the security against outside terrorists, it should be pointed out that rebellion inside the country poses a serious threat to national security. Much attention is also needed to fight domestic terrorism. Domestic terrorists are driven by their political and social beliefs. They are the government's opposition. They go all-out to fight for their beliefs, including stealing, hurting civilians, and other criminal acts. These homegrown terrorists are very diverse and their familiarity and easy access to the country makes them more dangerous. Some of the most distinguished domestic terrorist groups are the white supremacists, the black separatists, and the militia/sovereign citizen movement. The white supremaci