ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the overall scope of the War on Terror and introduces the most important legal and policy initiatives, domestically and abroad, which were developed as part of the War on Terror. It focuses on the most significant aspects of the War on Terror: the use of drones, the National Security Agency surveillance program, and the detention of terrorism suspects at the United States military base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, as well as the ensuing litigation. The chapter shows that while the War on Terror has produced some tangible anti-terrorism results, its benefits may have been outweighed by some of the war’s most aggressive policies, which have violated both international law as well as civil liberties of Americans domestically. The United States government, under the Bush and Obama administrations, has argued that the use of drones as part of the overall War on Terror is legal both internationally and domestically.
