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but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated" (Bush 2001). Despite the broadness of the war on terror', it actually denotes a war' on terrorists and those who support terrorists, specifically Islamist terrorists targeting the west. As stated in the September 2006 US Government National Stratergy for Combating Terrorism, a victory in the war on terror' would involve: "The defeat of violent extremism as a threat to our [the USA's] way of life as a free and open society" and "The creation of a global environment inhospitable to violent extremists and all who support them." (NSCT 2006, p.12)

The Terrorists

As with all wars, the war on terror' should be fought with a concrete understanding of the size, capacity and nature of the enemy. The enemy are those who use violent extremism as a threat to the USA's democratic society, these have been branded by the US government as terrorists or terrorist groups (NSCT 2006, p.12). A complete list of over 105 pages of such entities and individuals is identified under Executive Order 13224 (US Gov 2007). The list includes groups as diverse as Al Qaida/Islamic Army, the Irish Republican Army and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. With such a broad range of enemies with different reasons for engagement, the National Strategy for Combating Terrorism outlined a correspondingly broad solution: "We will attack terrorism and its ideology, and bring hope and freedom to the people of the world. This is how we will win the War on Terror." (NSCT 2006, p.28)

Why Terrorise?

If the ideology of terrorism is to be combated then one must understand the rational behind it. The UN defines terrorism thusly: "any action constitutes terrorism if it is intended to cause death or serious bodily harm to civilians or non-combatants with the purpose of intimidating a population or compelling a Government or an international organization to do or abstain from doing any act." (UN 2005, p.27) With this in mind it is essential to understand what it is that organisations such as al Qaeda seek to accomplish. Thus we can understand what it is that would constitute the terrorists winning' the war. Adam Curtis examines the root of these organisations and their philosophies which aim to spur the global Arab/Muslim umma into revolution in order to promote Islamism (Curtis 2005). It is possible that the main purpose of the 2001 and 2005 terrorist attacks was to create

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