Call for Papers: Democracy & Society, Volume 9, Issue 1

This issue of Democracy and Society will take a broad, analytical perspective on the impact of the war on terror. We seek to understand it from both a US, global, regional, and country-specific perspective. We are seeking well-written, interesting submissions of 1500-2000 words, including summaries and/or excerpts of recently completed research, new publications, and works in progress. Submissions for the issue are due Friday, October 21, 2011. Please email submissions to democracyandsociety@gmail.com by October 21, 2011. For additional information, please contact Andrea Murta or Ayesha Chugh at democracyandsociety@gmail.com.

Ten Years into the War on Terror

Al Qaeda’s terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 fundamentally reoriented US national security policy towards fighting terrorism. The fight has led to some tangible victories: no attacks on US soil over the past decade, weakening the Taliban in Afghanistan, dismantling Al Qaeda, and killing Osama bin Laden. Nevertheless, the war on terror has extracted high costs: expensive and militarily draining wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as proxy wars and lower-level conflicts in the broader Middle East, an erosion of the US’ reputation and authority in the region, and a diversion of attention from – or perhaps an acceleration of – other national security exigencies such as the rise of China, a diminishing US military capacity to project force globally, and a weakening US economy.

It is reasonable to ask, ten years after the September 11 attacks, whether the world in general and the United States specifically are safer places because of the war on terror? Even if the answer is yes, do the benefits the US has obtained outweigh or justify the costs? A decade into the war, a number of questions emerge, some of which include:

• After spending over a trillion dollars in Iraq, losing thousands of US troops, and causing the deaths of many more Iraqis, did the US benefit from overthrowing Saddam Hussein? Has Iran profited even more?

• After pouring a vast amount of money, troops, and effort into Afghanistan, the country remains fragile at best, and real concerns exist as to whether the Karzai government will fall if/when the US pulls out its troops. Do the benefits that the US gained in Afghanistan – eliminating Al Qaeda’s operational capacity there and weakening the Taliban – justify the costs?

• US intervention to dismantle Al Qaeda in Pakistan has destabilized the country and increased its priority as a national security concern because of the country’s nuclear arsenal. Did Al Qaeda’s presence in Pakistan justify the results of US policy to weaken the terrorist network?

• Is there a relationship between the effects of the war on terror – either positive or negative – and the revolutions sweeping the broader Middle East? Does the tainted reputation of the US there prevent it from playing any meaningful, supportive role in these changes?

• Finally, while the US was engrossed in its pursuits in the broader Middle East, have these pursuits diverted attention from – or perhaps even worsened – other exigent national security concerns such as the rise of China, an overstretched US military, and a weakened US economy?