Option 1 : Why wasn’t the U.S. and its vastly superior intelligence and military able to stop these attacks?
There were several reasons why the U.S. was not able to stop the September 11 attacks. After watching the video presentation for this week’s assignment, I came to know that the U.S intelligence had much information regarding the attacks.
The intelligence agencies, CIA, FBI and the top advisors provided with much of their researches on the topics to Bush administration. The report got rejected multiples times and never got the attention due the administration preoccupied notion about Iraq.
Much attention were given to cold war style war tactics and Saddam Hussain.
In the Middle East today, all aspects of society and culture—from political and economic issues to literature, art, and the role of the family—are intertwined with questions of religious faith. (Duiker, 2015).
After Osama bin Laden modified Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM)’s grand “planes Operation,” “U.S. intelligence frequently picked up reports of attacks planned by al Qaeda. Working with foreign security services, the CIA broke up some al Qaeda cells. The core of Bin Laden’s organization nevertheless remained intact.
In December 1999, news about the arrests of the terrorist cell in Jordan and the arrest of a terrorist at the U.S.-Canadian border became part of a “millennium alert.” The government was galvanized, and the public was on alert for any possible attack.” (National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, 2019).
How effective are current measures in dealing with attack prevention?
The Government propose a strategy with three dimensions:
(1) attack terrorists and their organizations,
(2) prevent the continued growth of Islamist terrorism, and
(3) protect against and prepare for terrorist attacks. In October 2003, Secretary of
Defense Donald Rumsfeld asked if enough was being done “to fashion a broad integrated plan to stop the next generation of terrorists.”
Have we really learned from past mistakes?
Their purpose is clear: to build unity of effort across the U.S. government. As one official now serving on the front lines overseas put it to us: “One fight, one team.” The unity of effort in five areas, beginning with unity of effort on the challenge of counterterrorism itself.
