Brian+M+9-11

Home 9-11 Group Topics 9-11 Assignment

Name Group Question Topic Question

Question 1: How was your topic affected by 9/11?

Before the events of September 11, 2001, America was not technically at war; some conflicts in the middle east, like fighting against Mohammed Farrah Aidid's forces in Somalia, and defending Kuwait from Saddam Hussein's forces in Operations Desert Shield & Storm were fresh on the mind of many Americans, but at that point, America was not in open conflict with any country. I say country because until 9/11, no country had ever gone to war against a terrorist organization like Al Qaeda; all wars were fought against other countries, or rebels. When we learned that Al Qaeda was behind the attacks on the World Trade Center, the response against Al Qaeda and its allies like the Taliban was quick and decisive; the strategy was to "first oust the Taliban from Afghanistan and dismantle Al-Qaeda" (War in Afghanistan). This was an unprecedented move; this was now a war not against a country or a religion, but against two organizations of "evildoers" that had declared war on the West and America.

"War in Afghanistan." //History.com//. The History Channel, n.d. Web. 2 Sept. 2011. 

Question 2: Explain the scope (extent), intensity (depth), and nature of the affect of 9/11 on you topic.

Terrorism doesn't always take place in foreign places like Afghanistan and Iraq; there is also domestic terrorism, which some might say is more dangerous. In order to be a recognized foreign terrorist organization, "the organization’s terrorist activity or terrorism must threaten the security of U.S. nationals //or// the national security (national defense, foreign relations, //or// the economic interests) of the United States" (Foreign Terrorist Organizations). Domestic terrorism, while less common, is usually "performed by individuals who are unaffiliated with any larger movement and are, therefore, hard to detect" (Masters). There are a total of 48 different recognized foreign terrorist organizations on the United States State Department's website (Foreign Terrorist Organizations) and "authorities say the threats posed by homegrown Islamic extremism is growing" (Masters). 9/11 made us realize that we were vulnerable, from the inside and out, to terrorist organizations and angry people looking to harm our country and our way of life.

"Foreign Terrorist Organizations." //State.gov//. United States State Dept., 19 May 2011. Web. 7 Sept. 2011. .

Masters, Jonathan. "Militant Extremists in The United States." //Cfr.org//. The Council on Foriegn Relations, 7 Feb. 2011. Web. 7 Sept. 2011. .

Question 3: How has debate on this issue made our country stronger?

The perception of America's enemy has changed significantly since the events of 9/11 and has brought us together to keep our national security tighter. We are now more aware of terrorist plots and our homeland security department has made the chances of successfully accomplishing a terrorist act on the United States next to impossible. Our war in Afghanistan has allowed us to "eviscerate" Al-Qaeda as "hundreds of its people have been captured and killed and many of its most dangerous plots thwarted" ("Ten Years On"). This diminishment of terrorism's presence in our world has strengthened this country by allowing us to make the world a safer place for people whose lives were changed forever by one man, nineteen men, and a whole organization all at the same time, by flights 11, 175, 77, and 93 (Wtc.net), and by the theft of almost three thousand lives which compelled America to wake up and take up arms against Al-Qaeda and other enemies of peace.

"Ten Years On." //The Economist// 19 May 2011: n. pag. Print

"9/11 Research: Passenger Lists." //Wtc.net//. World Trade Center, 3 Sept. 2008. Web. 8 Sept. 2011. 

RUBRIC for Responses
 * A strong topic sentence that clearly addresses and answers the question
 * Evidence that clearly supports the topic sentence
 * Correct use of internal citations and a properly formatted MLA citation for your articles (put this citation at the end of paragraph one)
 * Strict adherence to the Power Paragraph format
 * Mechanics are clean and do not detract from meaning