International Terrorism

Beginning of article

Key Points


* The massive terrorist attacks of
September 11, 2001, have placed
the threat of terrorism on the front
burner and have exposed the failure
of the U.S. government to protect its
citizens.

* The U.S. is using the threat of
terrorism to justify a series of
controversial policies, including
tougher immigration laws, high
military and intelligence budgets, and
restrictions on civil liberties.

* Terrorism is rooted in political
problems requiring political solutions
and necessitating a major
reevaluation of U.S. foreign policy as
a whole.

Recent U.S. presidents have claimed that international terrorism is a major threat to this country's national security and that the war against terrorism should be a major focus of U.S. foreign policy. This appeared to many observers to be …