War on terror

The war on terror, or alternately, the global war on terror, is a phrase used by United States President George W. Bush, and is a phrase frequently used by officials of his Administration. He first used the phrase, in public, on September 20, 2001 -- nine days after 9/11 attacks by al Qaeda's attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon Building with the comment "Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there." in a address to Congress.

A White House report, issued 100 days later, discussed progress in the program.

Five years later, President George W. Bush discussed means of adjudicating the status of terrorist suspects.

In a 2006 press conference, he spoke, as an aside, of the cooperation of the Iraqi government in the policy.

Critics challenge the use of this phrase, as poorly defined, and as an appeal to listeners emotions, not their intellect. Francis Fukuyama wrote

The term “war on terrorism” is a misnomer, resulting in distorted ideas of the main threat facing Americans today. Terrorism is only a means to an end; in this respect, a “war on terror” makes no more sense than a war on submarines.

Fukuyama criticized the concept for being too nebulous, for creating a climate of fear. He pointed out that a "war on terrorism" would imply the U.S. has a role in Chechnya, and in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While Fukuyama agreed there is benefit to intelligence sharing with Israel, the actual Palestinian problem is principally Israel's local problem.