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Are we winning the War on Terror?
Although the War on Terror was born following the destruction of the twin towers, the strategy was conceived by the US neo-cons far earlier. In reaction to the attack, shortly after the twin towers fell the US and its allies declared war on an adjective: terror.
In the midst of the chaos, the declaration of war placated the terrified masses. Our governments and military leaders, trained to tackle conventional enemies, flooded our 24hr news cycle with predictions of unimaginable calamity, soon to be unleashed by Al Qaeda – the greatest threat to western civilisation since the Soviet Union.
The storyline was simple. George Bush suggested: we are the good guys, and they are the bad guys. Osama Bin Laden became the global supervillian, plotting to overthrow the world’s superhero – the US – via suicide bombings and suitcase nukes. Our populations were stripped of civil liberties in preparation for the impending onslaught, and our young men were sent overseas, to fight the terrorists on their own doorstep. Continue reading →