Terrorism
The Problem of Today
Definition
Every American today has probably heard of terrorism. Ever since 9/11/2001, terrorism has become a growing problem in our world. The Terrorism Reference Library writes, "In the United States, the law defines terrorism as the illegal use of force or violence to accomplish a political or social goal,". This shows that terrorists simply do not want to negotiate until the change they want is in place. They will stop at nothing to destroy anyone or anything that gets in their way. Not only that, but they do it in a very violent and illegal manner rather than peaceful protests.
Methods of Operation
When the US first entered the "War on Terror" we realized how much of a threat the terrorists actually were. They play dirty by fighting their wars with mines and snipers, rather than army-on-army. The Terrorism Reference Library states, "Realizing they lack the physical or financial resources to defeat military forces using conventional tactics (such as tanks or warplanes, for instance), terrorists often use fear to bring about change in society. Fear in the minds of civilians is the terrorist's most powerful weapon,". This shows that terrorists could care less for conventional warfare. As long as they generate fear and continue to be recognized as a problem, they're getting closer to their goal. They don't care who they attack either. There have been many attacks on civilians performed by major terror organizations such as al-Qaeda and ISIS. SOme of the more famous ones were the 9/11 attacks in the US, and the attack on Paris in Europe.
The Evil Within
Many people may argue, "They're only fighting for their religion! We shouldn't have to destroy them for that! That's like saying we should destroy Catholics for founding the KKK!". First off, the KKK was actually founded against European Roman Catholics as The Terrorism Reference Library explains, "Between about 1915 and 1925 in the United States, which was predominantly Protestant at the time, the Ku Klux Klan was strongly biased against Roman Catholics,". I assure you as well that the religious goals of terrorists is very bad as well. The Terrorism Reference Library says, "The Islamist organization Al Qaeda, held responsible for the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in 2001, helped install a radical Islamic government in Afghanistan: the Taliban,". The Taliban was the product of many successful terror attacks. It was an oppressive governments that banned many forms of entertainment such as music and kite flying. It basically crumpled women's rights and threw them away. Only when the US overthrew them did that change. Strict Islamic Law may be what modern terrorists want, but it's something the people they are pulling into it don't want and it violates many human rights.
Why be Concerned?
As you can see, these terrorists have already proven dangerous to everyone who gets in their way (including the US) through terror attacks and have shown that their goals are quite immoral. Additionally, their plan is to overthrow every government in the world to install Islamic Law. When the US first heard of this, they laughed at it, you're probably laughing at it too since they're so weak, but then 9/11 happened and with it came the thought that their goal isn't impossible. We must keep up a continues effort to keep the terrorist off their feet.
Possible Solutions
This is a hard question as every solution has it's downside. I believe in two ways to contain terrorism. One of those methods is to up our military effort and destroy all terrorist organizations. This could lead to more government spending and civilian casualties in the Middle East. The second method would be to take in the children from the Middle East and to educate them to not be terrorists and then keep them until the terrorist organizations fall apart. That would cost a lot though, and it would be invading their privacy. There are countless other solutions too that would work efficiently, but you have to keep in mind, this will be a constant problem, even if it's a small problem, thanks to the rise in Extreme Islamic Ideology born in 9/11.
Site: "What Is Terrorism?" Terrorism Reference Library. Ed. Matthew May, James L. Outman, and Elisabeth M. Outman. Vol. 1: Almanac. Detroit: UXL, 2003. 1-21. Student Resources in Context. Web. 12 Feb. 2016.