Lecture 5. Building states, Changing regimes or fighting terror

Question 1

Why 9/11?

Answer 1

o Carry out a damaging strike against the US in retaliation for its perceived aggression in the Islamic World.

o Signal and support for the emergence of a new virtuous leadership (vanguard of an international Islamist movement)

o Prompt the US to come out of its hole (Massoud, 9/9)

o The War on Terror

Question 2

Carry out a damaging strike against the US in retaliation for its perceived aggression in the Islamic World.

Answer 2

 Depends on the Jihad group of what their priority is.
 Previous attacks against the US by Al Qaida before 9/11
 Attacks on embassies in Dar es Salaam and Nairobi
 First they had to establish, 9/11 was a masterpiece for an organisation, because they really established themselves as an organisation

Question 3

o Prompt the US to come out of its hole (Massoud, 9/9)

Answer 3

He was killed by Al Qaida  wanted to disorganise the resistance, push the US to invade Afghanistan and then trap them into a fall, because Northern Alliance would be disorganised.

Question 4

Speech Bush

Answer 4

 “We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbour them”.
 “Amerika and our friends and allies join with all those who want peace and security in the world, and we stand together to win the war against terrorism”.
 “The deliberate and deadly attacks which were carried out yesterday against our country were more than acts of terror, they were acts of war’.
 “The war against terrorists of global reach is a global enterprise of uncertain duration”.

Question 5

War on Terror

Answer 5

 9/11 was one of the biggest attacks, and everyone saw what happened on tv (emotional leverage)
 Justification of war making everywhere in order to fight terrorism
 The War on Terror was back then not criticized
 Legitimation of the War in Iraq
* All about 9/11
 Key: A lot of people in the American military began to see Al Qaida and the Taliban as the same  not the case

Question 6

Roque states –> begrijpen hoef je niet persle letterlijk te kennen

Answer 6

do not accept widespread international norms, and so are security threats and likely candidates for proliferation of interantional crime and weapons of mass destruction

Question 7

Failed states (kennen!!)

Answer 7

 Failed states= are not able to control territory. Breeding ground for terrorism. There is no strong state control.

Question 8

Why was War on terror’’ so radical?

Answer 8

o US blamed a whole country  justified the attack on a whole country, instead of just blaming Al Qaida
 Huge political and legal implications
o The idea of that the US could shape the Middle East
o Idea that you had to follow the US in their war(s) or you were against the US.
o That spirit of a highly emotional mind  influenced the decision for their attack.

• Even before 9/11 there were a lot of discussion of removing Osama bin Laden from Afghanistan soil –> was already causing trouble

Question 9

Difference of Iraq and Afghanistan

Answer 9

 Iraq is a descend state (had state capacity)  different from Afghanistan
* Roque state= actually a solid state  Enemy of the US, for example Iran. States are not optimally established but they are solid.
 At some point after the beginning of the Iraq war  talks about going to Iran.
 Other discourse: Axis of Evil, Bush’s label for?