Verified Document

Terrorism And Individual Freedoms Essay

Terrorism Suppression and Freedom

The aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks was characterized with the establishment of various measures and initiatives towards war on terrorism. As the government has constantly enhanced its war on terrorism efforts, it has emerged that these initiatives have evolved into reshaping the country's national security policies and challenged the value placed on individual freedom. The attempts towards preventing terrorism and enhancing homeland security in the United States have entailed the enactment of various anti-terrorism laws such as the Patriot Act. While these attempts may not have been developed to limit the civil liberties of American citizens, they have contributed to a significant diminution of freedoms for Americans (Whitehead and Aden, 2002).

Anti-terrorism law has been characterized by unintended consequences that threaten the essential constitutional rights of individuals who have completely no involvement with or link to terrorism. The war on terrorism has unexpectedly provided ways for law enforcement agencies and personnel to infringe on American's civil liberties in various ways. For instance, government leaders and law enforcement personnel have been given the right to carry out searches without prior notice under the disguise of preventing terrorism. In some cases, many citizens have shown the readiness to surrender some of the freedoms in order to obtain improved security in light of increase in terrorism.

This trend towards considerable diminution of freedoms for Americans in the name of the fight against terrorism cannot be justified. This is mainly because civil liberties are the constitutional principles through which the country was founded. Civil liberties act as the necessary foundation for the creation of responsible, independent citizens in the country (Mitrano, 2003). Therefore, there is no justification for lessening these freedoms in attempts to improve homeland security. In addition, the government can develop effective ways for dealing with terrorism without necessarily resulting in lessening of civil liberties for Americans.

References

Mitrano, T. (2003, January 1). Civil Privacy and National Security Legislation: A Three-

Dimensional View. EDUCAUSE Review, 38(6). Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/civil-privacy-and-national-security-legislation-three-dimensional-view

Whitehead, J.W. & Aden, S.H. (2002). Forfeiting 'Enduring Freedom' for 'Homeland Security':

A Constitutional Analysis of the U.S.A. PATRIOT Act and the Justice Department's Anti-Terrorism Initiatives. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/CAofUSAPA.html

Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Terrorism Russia S Big Problem
Words: 2710 Length: 8 Document Type: Research Paper

Terrorism in Russia on an International Level [Author Name(s), First M. Last, Omit Titles and Degrees] Terrorism in Russia has existed since the Russian Empire. Its long history has brought violence against countless civilians in order to accomplish ideological or political objectives through the generation of fear and panic. Tactics so often seen in terrorism such as hostage taking saw extensive use in Soviet secret agencies. The greatest example of this was

Terrorism 4 Different Topics, 3
Words: 4022 Length: 12 Document Type: Term Paper

Rational choices are limited in this setting, and may merely consist of making the best of the worst available alternatives. The American public is becoming increasingly frustrated with national policymakers who seem to be firing global broadsides but are not able to hit anything. In fact, Butler even questions whether the war on terrorism is a struggle against Osama bin Laden, his Al Qaeda network, and a few similarly minded

Terrorism Encyclopedias and Dictionaries Define
Words: 4573 Length: 15 Document Type: Term Paper

At times terrorist succeed and at times they fail. Some times they have larger and long-term goal and some times they have short-term aims. For example, a group hijacking a plane wanted some immediate results like release of the prisoners or financial gain but blowing a plane into a building would definitely mean that terrorists wanted something big out of it. Sometimes terrorists want to just cause panic and

Terrorism There Are a Number
Words: 9571 Length: 30 Document Type: Term Paper

Fundamentally, the insurgents are fighting an enemy with superior weaponry, technology, and resources, so therefore, must seek avenues to mitigate these disadvantages. In other words, insurgent forces out vastly outdone in the traditional aspects of warfare, so they are forced to resort to unconventional modes of attack. Early in his book, the Army and Vietnam, Krepinevich provides the broad game plan an insurgent force must follow to achieve final victory: As

Maritime Piracy and Terrorism in
Words: 9854 Length: 35 Document Type: Term Paper

This is to note that "Trinidad and Tobago alone account for 80% (1st quarter 2004) of all U.S. LNG imports, up from 68% in 2002. Therefore, any incident involving an LNG tanker along the Caribbean routes could harm not only U.S. energy security but also the economies of the Caribbean islands, affecting tourism and other industries." (Kelshell, 1) Such a trajectory has all the markings of an Al-Qaeda styled

American Terrorism for Many People,
Words: 14357 Length: 50 Document Type: Research Paper

The USA Patriot Act: This was a law that was passed after September 11th. It is giving the police and intelligence officials the power to go after terrorists organizations easier. As it lifted various Constitutional protections when investigating these offenses. Counter Terrorism: These are the activities that: federal, state and local officials are taking to prevent future terrorist attacks. Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD): These are weapons designed to inflict large amounts

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now