THE CIVILIZATIONAL HEGEMONY IN THE WAR ON TERROR

Year 2006, Volume: 2 Issue: 1, 29 - 32, 30.06.2006

Peter Baofu

Abstract

At a time when “individual terrorism” becomes such an ineffable evil in the mind of many (especially of the Americans since the September 11 attacks in 2001), it is unthinkable to even say anything more impartial about it.
Yet, contrary to the belief of many contemporaries, “individual terrorism” by the weak against the strong is important to civilization, as an opposing form of violence against “state terrorism” and “state-sponsored terrorism” by the strong against the weak.1
Two questions are in order. Firstly, is individual terrorism necessarily undesir- able? And secondly, if so, is it possible to eradicate individual terrorism? Perhaps the U.S. war on terror since 2001 is a good case study here to answer the two ques- tions, to be addressed hereafter, in that order.

Keywords

CIVILIZATIONAL, HEGEMONY, WAR, TERROR

References

• William Blum. 2003. “Myth and Denial in the War on Terrorism.” YellowTimes.org (Sunday, August 17). <http://www.yellowtimes.org/ article.php?sid=1529&mode=thread&order=0>.
• CNN.com. 2003. “Analysts: Iraq a `magnet ́ for al Qaeda” (Tuesday, August 19). <http://www.cnn.com/sprj.irq.al.qaeda.magnet/index.html>.
• Don Van Natta. 2003. “Report Calls US a Top Target for Terror Attack within a Year.” The New York Times (Sunday, August 17). <http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/17/international/worldspecial2/17 TERR.html>.
• Peter Baofu. 2003. “The Rise of the `New ́ Far Right ForeignPolicy.” The Vested Owl (July 01). <http://www.vestedowl.com/peter_baofu.htm>.
• Fox Butterfield. 2002. “Some Experts Fear Political Influence on Crime Data Agencies.” The New York Times (Sunday, Sept.22).