War Termination and the Global War on Terrorism
Abstract
The events of 11 September 2001 were not the first acts of global terrorism, hut the effects were certainly felt by more nations than any previous terrorist act. The statements by President Bush in November 2001 made it clear that the United States will take any and all actions necessary to rid the world of terrorists with global reach. This war has in a sense become an unlimited war. The approach taken by the United States in response to the attacks has taken us down a road that may or may not reach the stated end state in the National Strategy for Combating Terrorism. An alternative approach, one that is more asymmetric in thought may have taken us to the end state in a timelier manner. However, without a properly defined end state it is difficult for Combatant Commanders to reverse plan. The National Strategy for Combating Terrorism is a sound document from which to start but some changes may he necessary. Additionally, without definitive measures of success it will he difficult to reach the end state. Since the first steps down the path to defeating terrorism have already been taken it is now time to ensure that the future actions are directed toward the root cause of the problem. Otherwise, the likelihood of the terrorist movement, its recruiting base, will continue to flow.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 16, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA419404
Entities
People
- Richard W. Baxter
Organizations
- Naval War College