ABSTRACT
Prior to the September 11 attacks and the United States' military retaliation, the Bush administration pursued a number of policies that seriously harmed international efforts against terrorism. Even Prior to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States, the United States response to international terrorism has placed a strong emphasis on military action. The popularity of the United States in the Middle East is directly related to the perceived fairness of its policies towards the region. Stability requires economic policies that are more broad-based and sustainable, both in terms of the environment as well as in creating greater social equality from which the largest number can benefit from economic growth. Fighting international terrorism requires international cooperation. In the struggle against terrorism, then, the bombing of Afghanistan only marginally improved the military equation but may have significantly set back the far more important political equation.
