War on Terrorism summary

The War on Terrorism (also known as the War on Terror) is the common term for the various military, political and legal actions initiated by the United States government, often stated to be a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks. The terminology "War on Terrorism" and its objectives predate the 2001 attacks by about 20 years however, having become part of US policy already under the Reagan administration and, according to critics such as Noam Chomsky, sometimes led to active support of terrorist organizations in the struggle against Communism.

The official objectives of the 2001 War on Terrorism are to counter terrorist threats, prevent terrorist acts and curb the influence of terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda. Both the term and the policies it denotes have been a source of ongoing controversy, as critics argue it has been used to justify unilateral preemptive war, human rights abuses and other violations of international law