War on terror

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The war on terror, or alternately, the global war on terror, is a phrase used by United States President George W. Bush, and is a phrase frequently used by officials of his Administration. It is consciously avoided by the Obama Administration.

He first used the phrase, in public, on September 20, 2001 — nine days after 9/11 and al-Qaeda's attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon Building — with the comment "Our war on terror begins with al-Qaeda, but it does not end there." in a address to Congress. ^[1]

A White House report, issued 100 days later, discussed progress in the program. ^[2] Five years later, President George W. Bush discussed means of adjudicating the status of terrorist suspects. ^[3] In a 2006 press conference, he spoke, as an aside, of the cooperation of the Iraqi government in the policy.^[4]

Critics challenge the use of this phrase, as poorly defined, and as an appeal to listeners emotions, not their intellect. Francis Fukuyama wrote

The term “war on terrorism” is a misnomer, resulting in distorted ideas of the main threat facing Americans today. Terrorism is only a means to an end; in this respect, a “war on terror” makes no more sense than a war on submarines.^[5]

...was our war to be on terrorism in general or al-Qaeda in specific? If it was all terrorism we would fight, did we have to attack the anti-government forces in Colombia's jungles too? Gradually, the obvious prevailed: we would go to war with al-Qaeda and the Taliban, The compromise consensus, however, was the struggle against al-Qaeda and the Taliban would be the first stage in a broader war on terrorism. It was also clear there would be a second phase.^[6]

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