1. The War on Terror Unjustified

2.  The US (and its allies) war on terror has been very destructive in numerous ways ; it was an ill-conceived idea that has allowed the government to start an unjustified war killing hundreds of thousands of people, to get away with violating its own values, and has likely caused as much terror as it has stopped.  The attacks on September 11 th were certainly a tragedy and the perpetrators deserve to be brought to justice. However, this is not really what happened.

3. Argument 1:Although most of the hijackers were from Saudia Arabia the US invaded Afghanistan (where they trained) and Iraq which was not involved in any way.  This lead to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians in Iraq. (“Iraqi Casualties”)  It has also lead to an unstable country, 10 years after the invasion. (Dyer 2)

4. Argument 2:In attempting to attack an abstract concept, the US government has violated its own, supposedly, highest values.  The US set-up a prison base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba so that it could torture “enemy combatants.”  It also started a mass-surveillance program where it illegally captured information on phone and Internet use of most Americans (Greenwald)

5. Argument 3:It is probable that this war on terror has in fact inspired as much terrorism as it has stopped.  Illegally using drones to bomb people (some innocent farmers) in Pakistan has lead to further extremism. (Greenwald)  The invasion of Iraq lead to the creation of Al-Queda in Iraq, which lead to the creation of Islamic State or ISIS (“The History of…”)  It has allowed other governments from Russia to Israel to use the “war on terror” as an excuse to crack down on their own “enemies” (“Further Effects”)

6. Conclusion  Ultimately, the war on terror has been disastrous. Not only has it not achieved its objective, it has likely worsened terrorism, leads to the deaths of hundreds of thousands, and to the violation of people’s rights.