The War on Terrorism or War on Terror (also the "Global War on Terrorism" or "GWOT"GWOT [http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2003/b03152003_bt121-03.html) is a campaign by the United States, supported by several NATO members and other allies, with the stated goal of ending international terrorism by stopping those groups said to be terrorist groups, and ending alleged state sponsorship of terrorism. This "War on Terrorism" was launched by the Bush administration following the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. allegedly by al-Qaeda. It has become a central part of U.S. President George W. Bush's foreign and domestic policy. Unlike earlier concepts and definitions of war—with defined nations, boundaries, standing armies, and navies—the "War on Terrorism" has largely been dominated by the use of special forces, intelligence, and police work.

In 2005 the US' strategic goals have been expanded, from fighting a War on Terrorism to fighting "The Long War"2006 Quadrennial Defense Review Report PDF. More recently, members of the US-government also used the label "Global Struggle Against Violent Extremism" ^*.

In addition to governmental actions in the War on Terrorism, several private organizations have played a role in gathering intelligence and supporting the effort. When Richard Clarke served as the White House antiterror czar, he outsourced much intel gathering to a private group because he was unhappy with results from the FBI The people Clarke hired now lead two separate organizations: Investigative Project SITE Institute ^*." target="_blank" >Other private individuals and groups include Shannen Rossmiller Jewish Institute of National Security Affairs [http://www.jinsa.org/home/home.html" target="_blank" >^*.

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NPR Topics: Politics & Society

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This week in Wasilla, Alaska, a woman named Anne Kilkenny sent a letter to some college friends about her former mayor, Sarah Palin. By week's end, the letter was pinging around the country and Kilkenny's phone was ringing off the hook.
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Rosalind Wyman--seventy-seven years old; doughty feminist; political fund-raiser and philanthropist; hostess to J.F.K., Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton, and Hollywood types too numerous to count; youngest elected member of the Los Angeles City Council (at the age of twenty-two); first woman to run a national political . . .
Lauren Collins: The Brooklyn painter Kehinde Wiley.
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The painter Kehinde Wiley first travelled to Nigeria in 1997. He was trying to find his father, whom he had never met, or, more crucially for a portraitist, seen. (His mother didn’t have any photographs.) After several weeks in Lagos, he found his dad, who welcomed him. But--like any . . .
James Surowiecki: What drives market volatility?
James Surowiecki Mon, 25 Aug 2008 04:00:00 -0000
American investors are frazzled. True, oil prices have fallen from their most vertiginous highs, the dollar is a bit stronger, and the stock market has actually risen over the past month. But none of those things have happened in a smooth and steady fashion. The stock market’s “ascent,” in particular . . .

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