An Unjust war

    My final humanities course of Junior year has been Policy. This class has been focused on studying the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches of the United States federal government. The second unit has been a combination of the executive and judicial branches. We have spent our time learning about war, courts, and law. For this unit, we visited the National Veterans Art Museum to talk with a Vietnam War veteran. This conversation provided insight into the everyday impacts of war and the policy surrounding it. Our class also met with Deloitte to discuss political consulting and visited the Federal Courthouse. Our final Action Project for the year is to research a war and define whether or not it is just dependent on previous policies made by the United States government. I chose to focus on the 'Forever War' also known as the War on Afghanistan or the War on Terrorism. I recently read When Men Win Glory by John Krakauer which is about the impacts of post-9/11 patriotism. I enjoyed that book and chose to focus on the War in Afghanistan for this project to be able to learn more about the subject.

    After the attacks on the twin towers and the Pentagon, the United States engaged in a war with Afghanistan. The decisions relating to going to war perpetrated by the executive branch of the US federal government were not just. This war began in the fall of 2001 after the events of September 11th and continued until troops were removed in 2021. The USA is a part of many alliances including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Organization of American States (OAS), and Australia, New Zealand, and the United States (ANZUS) so when acts of war were committed against the United States all those countries came to the aid of them, whether it be military or humanitarian. The war started with acts of terrorism instigated by Al Qaeda and as the conflict continued the United States used military occupation, air strikes, and ground combat. This entire war is an example of asymmetric warfare as the United States Military and their allies were fighting against various rebel groups and the crumbling government of Afghanistan.



    Following the attacks of September 11th, 2001, it was obvious that remedy was needed. The country was wounded after such a ghastly event. In 2000, George W. Bush narrowly won the presidential election. At the beginning of 2001, President Bush and his cabinet dismissed the threats posed by Osama Bin Laden (Krakauer, 134). On August 6th, 2001 Bush was forewarned in a daily brief about possible attacks by Al Qaeda. There was reason to believe that New York City would be the victim and that there were ideas of hijacking a US aircraft. In the months before the attack on the twin towers, Bush was warned 36 times. Richard Clarke (of USSOCOM) was adamant that preventative measures must be taken and wrote to National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice asking how she would feel if an attack killed hundreds of Americans and she had done nothing to prevent it (Krakauer, 136). Immediately after the attacks Bush launched a worldwide incentive to weaken the powers of Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Part of this was Operation Enduring Freedom, initiated on October 7th, 2001, a military campaign meant to overturn terrorist power in Afghanistan.


    Congress passed a resolution authorizing the use of military force to counteract the terrorist attacks in the United States. This allowed the president to “use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons.” (S.J. Res. 23, H.J. Res. 64). This resolution passed 98-0 in the Senate and 420-1 in the House of Representatives. The Legislative branch gave up its power to allow the executive branch to take full control of the war efforts.


    Executive orders made by President Bush were the main policy actions during this time of conflict. On September 19th, 2001 he designated Afghanistan and the airspace above it a combat zone for the United States military (Bush). The date of this executive order was the start of engagement in combat. The intentions behind this were to prevent further acts of terrorism against the US and bring an end to the regime of Al Qaeda. Many years later the actions of President Barak Obama led to the death of Osama Bin Laden and the end of Al Qaeda's power. All the effects of the war can be led back to this executive order starting the combat in Afghanistan.


    The Supreme Court Case of Bush V Gore was a main factor leading to the United States' involvement in the war with Afghanistan. A per curiam opinion from the case states “Because it is evident that any recount seeking to meet 3 U. S. C. § 5's December 12 "safe-harbor" date would be unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause, the Florida Supreme Court's judgment ordering manual recounts is reversed.” Bush was able to become president because the recount was able to be stopped due to this decision. His executive power became dominating as other branches of government capitulated their power after the events of 9/11. This meant that the function of the federal government established in the Constitution wasn't being followed

    The actions leading to the War in Afghanistan were unjust and unconstitutional. The decision by the Supreme Court allowed President Bush to become president and he failed to prevent the actions of 9/11 despite receiving intelligence warning him of such an attack. As the Judicial and Executive branches of the federal government gave up their power it allowed the President to become too influential. His actions caused numerous civilian (American and Afghanistan) deaths and an unjust war involving nations across the world.

Charles Ommanney - George W. Bush touring army training center - 2007

Sources:

Where Men Win Glory - John Krakauer

“Bush v. Gore, 531 U.S. 98 (2000).” Justia Law, supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/531/98/. Accessed 9 June 2023.

“H.J.Res. 64 (107th): Authorization for Use of Military Force -- House Vote #342 -- Sep 14, 2001.” GovTrack.Us, www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/107-2001/h342. Accessed 9 June 2023.

National Archives and Records Administration, georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/12/20011214-8.html. Accessed 9 June 2023.

“S.J.Res. 23 (107th): Authorization for Use of Military Force.” GovTrack.Us, www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/107/sjres23/details. Accessed 9 June 2023.

U.S. Department of State, 2001-2009.state.gov/s/ct/rls/wh/6947.htm. Accessed 9 June 2023.

U.S. Policy in Afghanistan: Changing Strategies, Preserving Gains, carnegieendowment.org/2017/05/22/u.s.-policy-in-afghanistan-changing-strategies-preserving-gains-pub-70027. Accessed 9 June 2023.