War on Terror

To what did the War on Terror respond?

The terrorist attack of 9/11

What did the US focus on (generally) during the War on Terror

attacking any individual, organization, or nation it deemed a threat

What did the PATRIOT ACT do?

it increased police powers to root out suspected terrorists, expanded government access to private records held by businesses, and expanded government’s ability to search private property without telling the owner

What specific acts did the US government engage in to eliminate possible terrorists?

it distributed propaganda to eliminate people from supporting terrorists and used drones to spy

What did the US do in Afghanistan?

they removed power from the terrorist Taliban, supplied aid to villages, and spread propaganda to win people over to their side (against the Taliban and terrorists)

Why did the US invade Iraq?

Because they thought that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, and because they didn’t want these weapons to fall into the hands of terrorists, the US invaded

What did the US do while invading Iraq?

they took out the dictatorial government and established a democratic government, overseeing the elections in 2005. They then arrested and killed terrorist leaders, diminishing Al Qaeda (terrorist group’s) ability to carry out attacks in the region

What happened after the US reorganized Iraq’s government

there was still instability and violence, and then it was revealed that Iraq did not even have WMD, making the war more unpopular in the US. So, eventually, the US withdrew from the war

What is Islamophobia and how did the War on Terror influence it?

it is the irrational bias and fear of all Muslims, even in America. Because many of the terrorist groups were Muslim, people extended the fear of terrorists to be fear of all Muslims. This resulted in a spike in hate crimes.