Al-Qaeda and Islamism. A new terrorism?

Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Topic: Peace and Conflict Studies, Security, grade: 2,0, University of Wales, Aberystwyth (International Politics Department), course: September 11, Islamism and the Middle East, language: English, abstract: In the immediate aftermath of 11 September 2001, several new words were coined or at least used increasingly. Among them was the notion of a "New Terrorism," implying that not only the extent but also the quality of such a terrorist attack was unprecedented.US President George W. Bush did not hesitate to call for a "war against terrorism." When he ultimately demanded the Taliban Government in Afghanistan to hand over Osama bin Laden to the US, threatening swift military action if his demands were not met, he had the backing of an impressive number of governments. As it might appear that the US administration's agenda was set outside the White House, it is tempting to view the whole terrorism debate as a mere exaggeration and as a pretext to follow entirely different political goals.