Self-Perpetuating Terrorism

Self-Perpetuating Terrorism

One of the major issues of today is the ever-present threat of a terrorist attack on the United States. The September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon have brought this issue to the forefront of every American's concerns. It enraged nearly every citizen of "the greatest military power on earth;" many people questioned why someone would want to target such a great nation, but most of all it made a multitude of people want to seek revenge. The American populace clamored for war to make sure such an atrocity never occurred again on American soil. Americans in their anger sought to destroy every single Muslim extremist in the Middle East without stopping to consider the consequences of such an endeavor. The terrorist attacks ushered in a new foreign policy to destroy all perceived threats to the American way of life but, in so doing, increased the resentment of the United States around the world.

Official photographic portrait of US President Bar...

English: Looking south from Top of the Rock, New Y...

Iraq

Radical Islamic animosity is perpetuated by United States foreign policy which can be attributed to the Iraq War, the increased globalization ideology, and the political decisions of the past and present.

The Iraq War was somehow tied into the attacks on September 11th, 2001, and has taken the forefront of the "War on Terror." A very effective initial military campaign to overthrow the Saddam Hussein regime has become a very problematic occupation to instill a new government. The United States' continued occupation of Iraq is a highly controversial topic for most Americans. In the movie Body of Lies (2008) a character named Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe) is the head of the Middle East desk at the CIA. Hoffman prepares a report that makes a profound statement that addresses the United States' presence in Iraq:...