War on terror: ideological aspects of counterterrorism

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to offer a brief analysis of the ideological aspects that involve U.S. combat international terrorism, known as the "war on terror" and its use as a justification for coercive actions taken. The article is divided into five parts, where the central idea is to allow the reader to understand the concepts of terrorism and counterterrorism, besides the application of these terms as ideological framework for American interests. The first part describes the background leading to the genesis of the terrorism and the "war on terror." The second addresses the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and its consequences in the struggle against global terrorism, which led, among others, the "Patriot Act" and "Operation Iraqi Freedom." The third part the possibility to discuss the terrorism under the standpoint of its inner rationality and its “national” goals. The fourth part examines the difficult to define, by consensus, the meaning of "terrorism" and sets out the general notions of the concept of counterterrorism. The last part analyzes the subjectivity implicit in the concept of "war on terror" as ideological rhetoric.