The Effects Of 9/11 On Terrorism

On September 11, 2001, Americans woke up literally and figuratively to the realities of terrorism. To many, a terrorist attack was something that they only saw on the evening news. Never did anyone think of the deep impact that it would cause. Since the 9/11 attacks, things have changed. Prior to 9/11 did you even know that a Homeland Security Advisory System existed and that they were color coded?! Would you ever believe that strip searches would be a possibility when you boarded a flight to anywhere because you fit a certain “profile”? We, as Americans, have been asked to become more vigilant and report any suspicious activity. We can certainly blame the man behind the 9/11 attacks, Osama bin Laden, but I think we can also blame ourselves.
Al Qaeda is an international Sunni Islamic movement founded in 1988. Al Qaeda was formed during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Financed by Bin Laden, they have camps based in Afghanistan and Sudan. Their objective is to end foreign influence in Muslim countries and to create a new Islamic caliphate (wikipedia). Initially, Al Qaeda targeted the governments of Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The United States became a target after the start of the Gulf War. In addition to directing its’ own attacks, it acts as an umbrella group financing and subcontracting operations to local networks like Algeria’s Armed Islamic Group, Iran’s Hezbollah, and jihad groups in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and Somalia (Time). Al Qaeda is not only limited to the Middle East, their network has been identified in areas all over the world from Southeast Asia to Europe. Al Qaeda is labeled as a terrorist organization by many international groups such as NATO’s Security Genera, the U.S. Government, and the United Nations’ Security
In other words, Al Qaeda uses the act of violence to instill fear into our society. Al Qaeda gets great satisfaction when every single U.S. media outlet features them and their latest act of destruction. In essence, isn’t Al Qaeda using the U.S. media in subjecting us to their propaganda and keeping that fear fresh in our minds? James Fallows suggests that instead of focusing on the damage, only identify the risks if it will lead us to a solution to make our selves safer. These attacks are designed to frighten us even more than to kill us. We do need to take the necessary precautions, but let’s no go overboard. Let’s step out of the shadow of fear and, as Americans, enjoy our