Presidents Bush and Obama Policies on Terrorism (Essay Sample)

PRESIDENTS BUSH AND OBAMA POLICIES ON TERRORISM
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Abstract President George W. Bush is widely credited by the U.S public for his toughness on terror. The past survey indicates that most Americans approve President Bush’s and his campaign against terror. The prime responsibility of every supreme leader is to protect by all legal means the lives and property of the state citizens. Al-Qaeda together with other related jihad terrorist group posed a major challenge to America before, during and after President Bush’s reign. Counter-terrorism policies, therefore, had to be enacted to deal with the insurgency. Bush's policies focussed on an offensive military campaign and intelligence gathering not only within the U.S but also abroad. Critics claim that much of his administration policies on terror neglected homeland security, winning terror through use of ideas instead of force and securing lethal weapon from getting into terrorist havens in failed states. President Obama considering the popularity of his predecessor’s terrorism policies had to incorporate some of them in his administration. Introduction In this paper, my argument is that President George W. Bush did a commendable job in the war against world terror through enactment of several innovative and practical policies. The president’s devotion towards his anti-terror campaign was very evident. He made it clear the understanding that his mandate was to use the tools of power to secure America and the world at large. The September 11, 2001 bomb attack was a turning point in the fight against terror in U.S. the president deployed all elements of power to combat terror. Previously, it had been considered an issue of law enforcement primarily. The president moved in very strongly to transform and strengthen the military and other national institutions. (Bush, 2004) I am of the opinion that the softer stance taken by President Obama contrary to his predecessor to some extent was justified. The fruits of the military offensive initiated by President Bush to crush terrorist insurgents were being reaped during Obama’s leadership. However, he was obliged to continue implementing the policies from the previous regime for a considerable period to ensure a smooth transition. A little consideration would show that maybe Al-Qaeda and other terror groups would have posed a major threat to international security were it not for the actions taken against it by President George W. Bush. Innovation of George W. Bush Policy towards Anti-Terrorism Homeland Security Innovations After September 11, 2001 bomb blast, numerous terror attacks on U.S land have been prevented under President Bush’s watch. The most significant ones were the attempted bombing of fuel tanks at JFK airport, the Fort Dix Army Base attack plot by six Al-Qaeda individuals, the plan to destroy the tallest skyscraper of Los Angeles and planned blow up of East Coast bound airlines among others. All these were successfully thwarted through properly co-ordinated measures that were over sighted by the president. Dozens of terrorist with their supporters have been arrested and taken to American courts since 9/11. Entities and individuals linked to proliferation and terrorism have had their financial and other assets frozen in the U.S through federal determination to fight terror. It was while the leadrship of President Bush border patrols was doubled. Funding to immigration institutions was increased by over 100% in order to enable them to acquire better infrastructure and technology to perform their mandate effectively. (James, 2006) Under the watch of the president, expansion of the Federal Air Marshal Program was instituted. It was then made mandatory for commercial traffic to screen all passengers and presentation of credentials for better identity. Increased port security was also monitored through containerized cargo screening. The traditional multiple watch lists were replaced by a single watch list to enhance efficiency. All these critical innovations went a long way in ensuring homeland safety and fight against terror in the U.S soil. Global War on Terror Innovations President Bush brought freedom to millions of Afghan citizens through the defeat of Taliban. The oppressive and dictatorial rule of Saddam Hussein was also thwarted; a so-called leader who killed his people, attacked neighbouring states and defied all United Nations terms and conditions. The president also sent troops to combat Al-Qaeda; killing hundreds of its leaders and other operatives and confining the others to hideouts. The masterminds of the 9/11 war among them Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi were held responsible for their crude actions. (Ramraj, 2012) The president also influenced the transformation of combat approach while fighting terrorism. The number of ground forces was increased, and unmanned aerial attack infrastructure strengthened military operations, power and capabilities. Funding to the U.S Department of Defence was increased by multiple digits. In a bid to ensure quick deploy, American forces from the Garrisons used during the cold war were moved to other suitable bases. During this technological era, proper policies to deal with cybercrime are critical in ensuring a secure state. A new and comprehensive cyber security policy for Federal government and military computers had to be devised. Protection of classified files and information systems was made a national priority. Leakage of any form of pertinent information might be used by to the advantage of the terror groups. It was crucial that only trustworthy people were authorized to handle the information deemed classified or confidential. President Bush provided a favourable environment for collaborative and Unified Intelligence gathering under the leadership U.S director of National Intelligence. This ensured proper flow of communication and information sharing. The challenge in the information gathering is acquisition of the necessary information for protection of the American people without infringing their civil rights to privacy, freedoms and legal rights provide in the Federal Law. The FBI focus was from investigative role on terror groups to prevention of terror and dissemination of intelligence information. This was a major reform in ensuring the defeat of terror groups targeting U.S as it was responsible for prevention of most of the planned terror threat in the seven years he was in power after the 9/11 attack. (Lansford, 2009) Perhaps one of his best policy was the main the invigorated alliances and partnership of the U.S and other international security agencies in ensuring the security of the U.S. The point here is, it is far much better to fight the terror insurgency in their own land than allowing them to develop enough to bring way to the American soil. That is the main reason President Bush opted to send troops to Middle East and other nations that proved to be safe havens for terrorist. The NATO and other international security bodies were of great help when it came to fighting against terrorist groups. It is also worth noting that through the innovations of President George Bush, dictatorial states have grown to be young democracies that now uphold the rule of law and join hands in the fight against world terrorism. Iraq, for example, is in the frontline of the fight against terror groups within her borders in Anbar Province and other states. This is a milestone because it has enabled Iraq to have a meaningful progress at different levels especially economic. Afghanistan is one of the countries in the Middle East are enjoying the fruits of democracy, thanks to the U.S.
There have been claims, however, that the military personnel on pursuit mission of terrorist have been involved in torturing and killings of suspects without trial. This is against international law. The terrorists often use human shields in their battles leading to killings of innocent civilians. This makes it difficult to distinguish between the terrorists and the innocent residents and that leads to longer time spent on military operations for proper combing to be done. Terrorists find safe haven within the residents by convincing them using malicious reasons that they are fighting for them. President Bush addressed these challenges by ensuring the disciplined force and upholding the rule of law in all the missions. 
President Obama Anti-Terrorism Policy Innovations Up to January 2009, President Obama had adopted a bulk of anti-terrorism policies used by his predecessor’s administration. In his speech at National Archives the same year, Mr Obama made clear what he found wrong in the President Bush administration and how he would deal with some issues differently. In his fight against terrorism, he ruled out the enhanced interrogative approach and that directly related to the Guantanamo Bay Prison. There had been a number of allegations claiming that there were crimes against humanity committed in the prison. Over Four years later, he had not been able to achieve that because of the laxity of the Congress to approve a new detention regime. Meanwhile, drawn attacks continue to kill the terror suspects and to capture almost none. (Sidlow, 2013)
Obama has ordered over 300 drone attacks that targeted terror groups worldwide. His administration has also ordered Verizon wholesale data collection of mobile phones routine calls data that is meant to enhan...