American Foreign Policy
Tyler Kurtz
10/15/12
Essay #2
The United States military occupation in the Middle East, or the “War on Terror” as it is sometimes called, is one of the most hotly debated subjects to date. The attacks on the World Trade Center and Washington, D.C. on September 11, 2001, along with the history of Saddam Hussein, created an extremely difficult situation for President George Bush and the rest of the government. The United States was not a stranger to war in the Middle East; in the early 90’s, the United States was fighting the Gulf War in the Middle East. The attacks on 9/11 were committed by Al Qaeda, as Islamic terrorist organization based in the Middle East. The attacks consisted of four commercial planes being hijacked by suicide terrorists, and deliberately being flown into buildings. Two planes hit the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan, and those buildings subsequently collapsed within two hours. The other two planes were aimed at the Pentagon and Capitol Building in Washington D.C. The former reached its target, obliterating a portion of the building. The latter, however, was brought down over Pennsylvania, due to the passengers of the plane attempting to regain control from the terrorists. Osama bin Laden, who was thought to be the leader of Al Qaeda, did not claim credit for the attacks until 2004. Saddam Hussein, President of Iraq, was one of the only leaders in the world to praise the 9/11 attacks. The question whether or not going to war was an appropriate response to the 9/11 attacks, as well as Hussein’s actions, in my opinion, is a resounding yes. After 9/11, the most significant threat to U.S. security was rogue states with WMD’s. Hussein had been attempting to develop WMD’s for decades, and without the opposition destroying his nuclear sites on numerous occasions, it is very possible that Hussein would have been in possession of WMD’s by 2001. In a speech made by Vice President Dick Cheney to a national convention of Veterans of Foreign
10/15/12
Essay #2
The United States military occupation in the Middle East, or the “War on Terror” as it is sometimes called, is one of the most hotly debated subjects to date. The attacks on the World Trade Center and Washington, D.C. on September 11, 2001, along with the history of Saddam Hussein, created an extremely difficult situation for President George Bush and the rest of the government. The United States was not a stranger to war in the Middle East; in the early 90’s, the United States was fighting the Gulf War in the Middle East. The attacks on 9/11 were committed by Al Qaeda, as Islamic terrorist organization based in the Middle East. The attacks consisted of four commercial planes being hijacked by suicide terrorists, and deliberately being flown into buildings. Two planes hit the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan, and those buildings subsequently collapsed within two hours. The other two planes were aimed at the Pentagon and Capitol Building in Washington D.C. The former reached its target, obliterating a portion of the building. The latter, however, was brought down over Pennsylvania, due to the passengers of the plane attempting to regain control from the terrorists. Osama bin Laden, who was thought to be the leader of Al Qaeda, did not claim credit for the attacks until 2004. Saddam Hussein, President of Iraq, was one of the only leaders in the world to praise the 9/11 attacks. The question whether or not going to war was an appropriate response to the 9/11 attacks, as well as Hussein’s actions, in my opinion, is a resounding yes. After 9/11, the most significant threat to U.S. security was rogue states with WMD’s. Hussein had been attempting to develop WMD’s for decades, and without the opposition destroying his nuclear sites on numerous occasions, it is very possible that Hussein would have been in possession of WMD’s by 2001. In a speech made by Vice President Dick Cheney to a national convention of Veterans of Foreign
Cited: Aryn Baker, “What Happens if We Leave Afghanistan? Afghan Women and the Return of the Taliban,” Time, July 29, 2010. Bruce Jentleson, American Foreign Policy: The Dynamics of Choice in the 21st Century, 4th Edition Evangelista, Matthew. "Coping with 9/11: Alternatives to the War Paradigm."Costsofwar.org. N.p., 12 June 2011. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. <http://costsofwar.org/sites/default/files/articles/47/attachments/Evangelista%20Coping%20with%209-11.pdf>. President Barack Obama, “Remarks by the President on the Way Forward in Afghanistan,” The White House, Washington DC, June 22, 2011. Rosenberg, Matthew, and Rod Nordland. "US Abandoning Hopes for Taliban Peace Deal."New York Times. N.p., 1 Oct. 2012. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/02/world/asia/us-scales-back-plans-for-afghan-peace.html?pagewanted=all>. Sami Yousafzai and Ron Moreau, “Afghanistan: ‘Green on Blue’ Killings Explained,” Newsweek, August 27, 2012. Vice President Dick Cheney, “Eyes on Iraq: The Administration Case for Removing Saddam Hussein,” New York Times, August 27, 2002. [ 7 ]. Baker, 2010 [ 8 ]