After Bin Laden: Nothing to Fear

Meine neuste Kolumne im Social Europe Journal:

After the killing of Osama Bin Laden, U.S. comedian Steven Colbert admitted to his audience that he was scared of not being scared anymore.
The almost 10 year long war against terror has indeed transformed America. The U.S. has dedicated significant financial and human resources towards the ‘war against terror’ and although it is true that the Bush and the Obama administrations kept the American homeland safe from further attacks, these policies came at a high price. The two wars Mr. Bush began within the pretext of 9/11 did not only amount to billions of dollars and the lives of thousands of American soldiers but also the loss of American credibility and moral credit caused by measures like extraordinary renditions and torture. The policies of the Bush administration deliberately generated a constant atmosphere of fear and intimidation within the public that influenced an entire generation that grew up in the shadow of an omnipresent evil, embodied by Osama bin Laden, the ultimate evildoer. From tightened airport controls to fiscal restrictions at home, the war against terror served as a convenient excuse to reduce government services and restrict civil liberties. Hier gehts weiter