Samantha,

In my opinion, since 9-11, the United States has been fighting a war of terrorism and it is not ending anytime soon, whether it is with homegrown terrorists or foreign based terrorist, each day we here of some threat against this nation. It is difficult to measure success in this scenario as terrorist threats are increasing day to day. To aid in this discussion, it is vital to acknowledge that there are various forms of terrorism that we are in conflict with:

• cyberterrorism – Cyberterrorists use information technology to attack civilians and draw attention to their cause. This may mean that they use information technology, such as computer systems or telecommunications, as a tool to orchestrate a traditional attack.
• bioterrorism – refers to the intentional release of toxic nuclear biological agents (NBC) that can cause harm and distruction in the name of a particular cause.
• ecoterrorism – violence in the interests of environmentalism. In general, environmental extremists sabotage property to inflict economic damage on industries or actors they see as harming animals or the natural environment.
• nuclear terrorism – the use of nuclear materials and how they might be exploited as a terrorist tactic. These include attacking nuclear facilities, purchasing nuclear weapons, or building nuclear weapons or otherwise finding ways to disperse radioactive materials.
• narco terrorism – situations in which terrorist groups use drug trafficking to fund their other operations.

Each President, since 9-11, has vowed to eradicate terrorism, from Bush, Obama to now, President Trump. “President Trump, in the heat of the presidential campaign was very clear about how he intended to confront terrorist groups, particularly the Islamic State (ISIS): “I will quickly and decisively bomb the hell out of ISIS, will rebuild our military and make it so strong no one—and I mean, no one—will mess with us.” Nine months into his presidency, Trump has indeed prioritized military action and downplayed diplomacy, soft power and political engagement”.

Brechenmacher, S., & Feldstein, S., (2017). Trump’s War on Terrorism. Retrieved from https://nationalinterest.org/feature/trumps-war-terror-22783

https://waragainstterror.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/types-of-terrorism/

by Saskia Brechenmacher Steven Feldstein