Blog Post #1
On September 20, 2001, President George W. Bush gave a very emotionally driven speech to a joint session of Congress. In this speech, he focused on the unity that the attacks from 9/11 brought forward, while also setting a very aggressive response to Al Qaeda. The message was bright and clear, America was stronger than ever and this attack would not go without a response. The attack brought worldwide support for the U.S, complete strangers risked their lives for one another, prayers were sent from around the world. This topic is what seemed most interesting to me, sparking a strong sense of patriotism within myself. A sense of patriotism that was sparked within millions of Americans. America has a history of being resilient and stepping up when a threat to liberty has presented itself and I think President Bush did a marvelous job at portraying this in his speech. This is essential in what I believe helps to make America, America and why I believe that the intended effect Al Qaeda was unsuccessful.
President Bush states that they believe that Al Qaeda's purpose was not monetary gain, but to threaten and overthrow all democratic governments. It was a direct attack on liberty. Al Qaeda and similar groups such as the Egyptian Islamic Jihad and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad have been attempting to attack institutions of democracy for decades through acts of terrorism. While there is no one definition for terrorism, the majority surround themselves around one common concept which is the use of violence to intimidate or coerce a population and/or government.
President Bush established what we would later call the "War on Terror", through setting our sights on the Afghanistan branch of Al Qaeda. I do not believe that President Bush ever truly thought that this war would completely eradicate terrorist groups, or even that they would make a dent in them. I believe the intended message and subsequent attacks were meant as a message and as a deterrent. Terrorist groups function mostly in the dark and are much too spread out to completely eradicate them. Personally, I believe that the U.S and allies would have been far more effective at hindering terrorist groups if they had targeted countries that fund them, such as Iraq. However, for multiple political reasons, that is simply not possible.
Again, I return to my initial point. At times of war and terror, the people look towards their leader for support and a path of direction. When the attacks occurred, I remember thinking "Where do we go from here? Will we ever be able to be the same?". President Bush provided that in his speech, and began the healing process in many. He stated "We will not tire; we will not falter; and we will not fail." The recent attacks in Paris at the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper magazine show exactly why it is so important that these words ring true as countless innocent victims continue to die. President Bush also made a very important point in stating that this was not about religion. While the terrorist groups hide behind their faith and use Allah as justification for their actions, the religious group as a whole cannot be judged for the actions of a few.
Overall, President Bush's speech at the joint session of Congress was extremely well written and established the response that would eventually bring the capture of Osama Bin Laden. President Bush effectively helped to bring a damaged country together, to unite with our allies and to let the world know that it had not broken our government. Although many may say that the aggressive response should not have been taken, that perhaps there could have been a more peaceful and political approach to solving this issue. I do not believe that you can negotiate with groups and people who do not wish to negotiate. These same attempts can be seen between the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and Israel. Israel has been backed into a corner and been forced to protect itself after multiple failed attempts to negotiate with the PIJ. A lack of response and organization could have lead to other terrorist attacks within our country, which would have lead to even more tragedies.
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