THE TERRORIST CHALLENGE

September 11

The terrible events of September 11, 2001, “changed everything.”

The destruction of the World Trade Center in New York had a profound effect on the way

Americans think about terrorism.

• One response to the attack was a much stronger resolve by Americans to fight back against the forces that produced it.

• The terrorists may have hoped that their act would demoralize and weaken U.S. resolve - they failed completely.

• In the past, Americans regarded threats to national security as faraway.

• The assumption of safety is now gone.

• This new sense of vulnerability is affecting how we think about foreign policy, military defense, homeland security, and even our own personal safety.

• What long-term effect this may have on America as a society remains to be seen – the impact has been significant.

It quickly became clear that the Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda terrorist network was

primarily responsible for the attacks.

Bin Laden was a member of a wealthy family in Saudi Arabia.

But Bin Laden and his group were in Afghanistan, protected by that nation's Taliban rulers.

• In less than three months United States forces drove the Taliban from power, destroyed most of al Qaeda’s bases in Afghanistan, and helped a new government take over.

THE TERRORIST CHALLENGE

The U.S. and the Middle East

It can be hard to understand what would provoke hatred so strong as to lead

someone to deliberately target thousands of innocent Americans for death.

The U.S. is by far the world’s most powerful

nation.Our military has been

involved in many parts of the world, including the

Middle East.

Don’t Hate Me

• Many nations in the Middle East have a strict Islamic (religious) code that governs all aspects of their lives.

• Perhaps the cultural differences or our previous involvement can explain the terrorist hatred of the U.S.

• Several U.S. Mideast policies are often listed as reasons for terrorist rage against America.

U.S. Israel• U.S. support for Israel is

harshly criticized.• Most Arab states oppose

the very existence of Israel as a Jewish homeland.

• Since 1967, the criticism centers on Israel’s control of land that was taken in a war with Egypt, Syria, and Jordan.

The Palestinian Arabs in these lands have fought ever since.

• The U.S. support of Israel is seen as one-sided and may be a source of the terrorists’ anger.

• Critics see U.S. actions in the Middle East as harmful to the followers of Islam, who live in the region.

• In the past the U.S. has been involved in the Balkins, Afghanistan, and Kuwait – now these actions are being seen as a threat to Muslims and their way of life in the Middle East.