Bush’s view of fighting against terrorism focused on combat operations

Abstract

Military actions were supplemented by intelligence and police operations aimed at locating Al-Qaeda cells in various parts of the world and neutralising them. However, they were not the core of the undertaking. The war was actually started by the attack on Afghanistan conducted in response to the terrorist attacks of 11 September. The conflict in Iraq was also carried out in the name of combating terrorism, however, it was just a bureaucratic reason for the intervention. The war itself led to an escalation of the phenomenon of world terrorism. President George W. Bush propagated messianic views stating that the war against terrorism was waged in the name of the God, while its aim was fighting evil in the world. The war was a realisation of the United States National Security Strategy guidelines of September 2002, which emphasized the significance of the preemptive war, increased unilateralism of American activities and the necessity to overthrow undemocratic regimes.