Homeland Security Research Papers Example

Introduction

The term “homeland security” was effectively given preference amid the threatening crisis of September 11, 2001. The main purpose of the policy was to prevent future terrorist attacks in the United States of America. In this context, the policy of homeland security has demonstrated enormous success as the country has not faced any significant threats as compared to the numerous threats and predictions that underwent after September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. There were no terrorist attacks in the United States of America five years before the heartbreaking attacks of 2001 so whether the prevention of post 9/11 attacks is due to the intense security measures taken due to homeland security policy, the war on terrorism or mere luck is an issue that still needs to be identified (Bantekas, 2003).

Impact of 9-11 attacks

There have been some significant impacts of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The crime level and biased attitudes against the Middle Eastern people and especially Muslims have increased in the United States of America after the terrorist attacks. The people and families belonging to the Islamic religion have been intensely targeted and stereotyped as terrorists and the people belonging to other faiths demonstrated negative attitudes and behaviors towards people following Islam (Ervin, 2006).
Since the attacks the leaders of the USA have imposed wars on the countries they consider as potential threat such as Afghanistan, Iraq, sanctions against Iran, Libya, Syria, etc. The USA being the super power of the world has considered it is their duty to clean the world from the terrorists and have launched significant number of attacks to eradicate the terrorists completely. Thousands of young American soldiers along with coalition partners have been employed in the countries that are considered as threat and these soldiers have been killed traumatizing their families. Apart from this, the homeland security budget increased from US$ 20 billion to more than US$ 60 billion in 2012 (Ervin, 2006).

Could the 9-11 attacks be prevented?

Now the question arises that could these attacks be prevented or were these attacks a question mark on the security provided by the agencies of the superpower and can the future attacks be prevented? There have been some reports that these attacks could have been prevented if the Bush government would have taken the initial reports and threat details provided by the security agencies seriously. In the early 2001 the White House was warned about the potential threat from the Al-Qaida and at least two main hijackers that were involved in this terrorist attack were identified prior to the attack. If these attackers were caught, there could have been the possibility that these 9-11 could have been prevented (Borger, 2004). An official who has worked with the White House for more than 10 years claimed that President Bush became the president with the thought that he would convict and topple Saddam Hussein in Iraq, and his main mission was the Iraq war and toppling the government. The obsession with Iraq undermined the security threats to the nation and the lack of military operation in Afghanistan made, it is easier for Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda to plot the terrorist attacks on the United States (Borger, 2004).
There have been some other reasons through which it could be clarified that these attacks could have been prevented. In 2000, the FBI tailed an Al-Qaeda suspect in San Deigo and thought they had a breakthrough. Their main target was found conversing with a manager of Sam’s Star Mart, who at the time of the investigation refused to provide any knowledge and his home address. The matter was given up by the FBI. Only if the agents would have waited a little longer, they may have identified the Sam’s Star Mart lately hired employee known as Nawaf Alhazmi who was Saudi national, had already been planning these terrorist attacks for more than 20 months, and was later found to hijack one of the planes involved in the crash into the Pentagon (Harry, 2009).
There have been some serious considerations that whether the Saudi government senior officials had any hands behind the attack and whether they provided funding and support to the hijackers. There have been some linkages provided in the confidential 9-11 reports between the Saudi princes and the alleged hijackers. Most significantly, the most suspicious character in this regard is Saudi named Omar al-Bayoumi. It has been reported that al-Bayoumi visited the United States with some Saudi officials to meet the 9-11 plotters of the attack. The White House declassified this information and the President George Bush tried his best to protect the foreign officials and his relationship with Saudia Arabia for the long-term purpose of oil, revenue and stake in oil fields (Isikoff, 2003).
Al-Bayoumi has been identified to stay in California, and he mostly showed up at various parties, but there was no official record of him, but he had an unlimited supply of financial funding. He bought a local mosque for US$ 400,000. The FBI found some clues about his whereabouts and also that he received a suspicious looking parcel from a Middle Eastern country that was a box filled with wires of different sizes and that different Arab national, gathered at his place. Some investigation was done by FBI, but later the matter was dropped, and his relationship with the businessmen of Riyadh was established (Isikoff, 2003).
The FBI has complete details that al-Bayoumi met with the Fahad al Thumairy in Saudi Consulate situated in Los Angeles and later on met with Khalid Almihdhar and Nawaf Alhazmi in a restaurant. These two Saudi’s had attended Al-Qaeda summit in Kuala Lumpur, and their stay in the United States was funded by al- Bayoumi. The room that al- Bayoumi rented for these two Saudi men was taken on rent from al- Bayoumi’s friend who was a secret informant of FBI. The informant claimed after the attacks that he was never suspicious or concerned about the activities of Khalid Almihdhar and Nawaf Alhazmi. Hence, they were not investigated by FBI.
Before the September 11 attacks took place, the FBI investigated around 14 people who had been later found to meet or help the hijackers on the plane. One of them was a spiritual advisor – an Imam of a mosque situated in San Deigo. He was spiritually found appealing to Almihdhar and Alhazmi – both the hijackers. The Imam was found to have some terrorist ties in the blow up of landmarks situated in New York in 1990’s and was thoroughly investigated by FBI, but he was left later on and moved to England. The Lincoln Higgie who was an antique dealer living near the mosque, claimed that the Imam left for Kuwait and before leaving said that something big was about to happen and that he should leave the country before it does (Isikoff, 2003).
This clearly demonstrates that FBI and other investigative agencies were close to the suspects, and they had some idea that something out of the ordinary was happening in the country, and there were some alleged accused people who were investigated as well, but they could not reach the conclusion that what was exactly about to turn up and it could lead to one of the most devastating attacks in the country (Isikoff, 2003).

Conclusion

The attacks of 9-11 left a mark on the citizens of the United States where they questioned their personal security. The main purpose of the homeland security policy was to prevent future terrorist attacks in the United States of America. In this context, the policy of homeland security has demonstrated enormous success as the country has not faced any significant threats as compared to the numerous threats and predictions that underwent after September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. There have been some reports that these attacks could have been prevented if the Bush government would have taken the initial reports and threat details provided by the security agencies seriously. In the early 2001 the White House was warned about the potential threat from the Al-Qaida and at least two main hijackers that were involved in this terrorist attack were identified prior to the attack. If these attackers were caught, there could have been the possibility that these 9-11 could have been prevented.

References

Bantekas Ilias (2003), The International Law of Terrorist Financing, The American Journal of International Law, 97, 2.
Borger J. (March 2004) 9/11 hijackers could have been stopped, says ex-aide, The Guardian, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/mar/23/usa.september11
Ervin, Clark Kent (2006) Open Target: Where America is Vulnerable to Attack, Palgrave Macmillan,p. 34.
Harry W. Richardson (2009) The Economic Impacts of the September 11, 2001, The Terrorist Attacks Identifying the Regional Economic Impacts of 9/11” Peace Economics, Peace Science and Public Policy, Volume 15, Issue 2, p.1-2.
Isikoff, Michael (2003) Failure to Communicate, Newsweek, Vol. 142 Issue 5, p34-36.