By Simon Butler
October 31, 2008 -- In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, bombings of the World Trade Center and Pentagon, US President George Bush declared an open-ended, apparently indefinite “war on terror”.
Using the terrorist attacks as an excuse, the “war on terror” has meant a war drive to extend US global domination. The threats were free flowing — at one point as many as seven nations
were part of the “axis of evil” and therefore potential military
targets as Bush threatened “pre-emptive strikes” against US “enemies”.
The war drive began with the 2001 invasion and occupation of
Afghanistan. In 2003, in the face of massive global protests, the US
launched its invasion of oil-rich Iraq.
Facing sustained resistance from the Iraqi people, and increasingly
unpopular at home, the failure of the Iraqi occupation has contributed
to making the Bush presidency one of the least popular in history.
Campaigning for the White House, Democratic Party candidate Barack
Obama has made much of his initial vote against the war in 2003.