The War on Terror 101
an in-depth look
Conspiracy Theories:
A Cause for Concern
The events of September 11th, 2001 that led to the War on Terror, were undoubtedly tragic and terrible. But many people wonder why it was so easy for several terrorist to get through TSA security, board several planes, hijack them and pilot them into several buildings in different cities. Why did our President decide to go to war so quickly with a country that didn't have a direct connection to the terrorists? And why did the President rush Congress to so quickly declare a war? It's exactly these questions and facts that intrigue people and are the basis for many conspiracy theories.
Joe Tabacca for The New York Times
Blood and Oil
It has been well documented that President George W. Bush's father, President George H.W. Bush, has had a long history of dealings and interest in the Middle East. He was involved in a war then and his son wanted to continue his legacy by ensuring a war there again. Not only did it honor his father's desires but it also could be spun in the favor of the US in general. The Middle East is home to one of the largest areas of oil. Without access or control of such a substantial amount of oil, the US would be left to its own dwindling resources. Oil makes the world run. If you control it, you control the world. According to the CIA, 5 of the top 10 oil producing countries are found in the Middle East.1 That's a very good reason to cause chaos and try to gain control of that area. But you can't simply start a war for that sole purpose. You need a much better reason, a reason that the public can understand and support. What better way of gaining the general population's support than exacting revenge on “evil doers” that attacked our glorious and pure country?
CIA Support
The CIA not only knows about terrorists and terrorist groups but have aided them. The terrorist group Mujahedin in Afghanistan were trained and armed with the help of the CIA. “American officials estimate that, from 1985 to 1992, 12,500 foreigners were trained in bomb-making, sabotage and urban guerrilla warfare in Afghan camps the CIA helped to set up.”1 The existence of al-Qaeda isn't new. We've known that they've been around for quite some time. This includes the knowledge of Bin Laden and his position along with his potential threat. But nothing was done in his name until 2001. Suspicious timing. This statement was made pre- 9/11, “But according to one American official, concentrating on bin Laden is a mistake. 'The point is not the individuals,' he said last week. 'The point is that we created a whole cadre of trained and motivated people who turned against us. It's a classic Frankenstein's monster situation.'”2 The U.S. has trained and armed many foreign militant groups.
Loss of Liberty
The government wanted more control over its citizens. After the September 11th attacks occurred a new law was enacted. One that violated and still continues to violate civil liberties and what's worse is the public generally supports it. The Patriot Act is blatantly unconstitutional yet it persists. It's a coverall for any law enforcement agency to detain or arrest anyone without a warrant based on essentially nothing under the guise of protecting the U.S. from terrorists. “Notice is always provided, but the reasonable delay gives law enforcement time to identify the criminal's associates, eliminate immediate threats to our communities, and coordinate the arrests of multiple individuals without tipping them off beforehand.”4 Which sounds great except, again, it really means that they can grab anyone or monitor anyone without first securing a warrant or notifying the person of their intention, like our Constitution states.
The Not So Surprise Attack
The government knew of the attacks ahead of time and may have even orchestrated them. We all heard or saw the President's reaction when he was given the news about the attacks. They had happened only minutes before yet the President seemed calm. He was reading at a school and with an almost imperceptible nod, he continued. Just like that. The country had been viciously attacked and he kept reading a child's book. It's no wonder why people think he had prior knowledge. “NBC’s Pentagon correspondent, Jim Miklaszewski, was warned in advance by a US military intelligence official, who reportedly said, 'I would stay off the E Ring [the outer ring of the Pentagon, where the NBC office was] for the rest of the day, because we’re next.'”5 The government is no stranger to concocting ideas to get America into wars. During the 60's, officials brainstormed ways to get the US to start a “justified” war with Cuba. This was called Operation Northwoods. Some of the ways were to sink civilian ships or planes or blow up a US ship and blame it on Cuba in order for the entirety of the government and the public to sanction a war.6 It's been done before and it will be done again.
For information from the CIA concerning the attacks, please view the redacted documents here: CIA Documents
1CIA. The World Factbook. Crude Oil Production. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2241rank.html
2The Guardian. Frankenstein the CIA Created. Author: Jason Burke. January 17, 1999. http://www.theguardian.com/world/1999/jan/17/yemen.islam
3The Guardian. Frankenstein the CIA Created. Author: Jason Burke. January 17, 1999. http://www.theguardian.com/world/1999/jan/17/yemen.islam
4Justice Department. The USA Patriot Act. http://www.justice.gov/archive/ll/highlights.htm
5911Truth.org. New Evidence of Foreknowledge of the 9/11 Attacks. Published September 9th, 2015 originally by The 9/11 Consensus Panel.
6George Washington University. The National Security Archive. Pentagon Proposed Pretexts for Cuba Invasion in 1962. http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/news/20010430/
Conspiracy Theories. Top Ten Conspiracy Theories of 2002. http://www.conspiracy-theories.net/