Terrorism the Blurred Line:
America Changed after Terrorism

Table of Contents
Abstract………………………………………………………………………………………….3
Terrorism the Blurred Lines: America changed after Terrorism………………………………...4
Charts……………………………………………………………………………………………
References……………………………………………………………………………………….10

Abstract
April 19, 1995, an explosion tore through the Alfred P. Murrah federal building wounding hundreds and killing 168. Immediately America assumed that we were under attack. All reports stated that the Middle East was responsible for this terrorist act. “The West is under attack,” (Posner 89), reported the USA Today. News reported that American had become victims of jihad as a result of the holy war. In less than a week we realized that the attack was caused by one of our own. On September 11th, 2011, America was forever changed. In an outcry for justice, President George W. Bush made the statement, “no distinction between terrorists and those who harbor terrorists would be made.” The fact that terrorist were bold enough to attack America gave the President no choice other than to declare war. The discovery was made that Saddam Hussein was the mastermind behind the attack which made him the number one target for the military to capture. During this paper I will show how the effects of terrorism and war have changed America that we once knew. Israel, although they are not an immediate neighbor of Iraq, is perceived to be under the most danger. Israel’s danger is caused by the religious difference between the two countries and the support they have received from the United States.

Terrorism the Blurred Line:
America Changed after Terrorism

Terrorism had always been thought of as a subject that no one wanted to mention. Today terrorism has become a common word in our everyday lives. Our nation has endured things that will forever change the way we live. Webster’s dictionary defines terrorism as the use of violent acts to frighten the people in an area as a way of trying to achieve a political goal. The definition alone would lead one to believe that all acts of terror has a political plot, however, that is not always the case. The first time America led action on Iraq was during the Gulf War in response to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. After the success of Operation Desert Storm, harsh sanctions were imposed on Iraq and UN weapons inspectors were sent to neutralize the ability for Iraq to be a nuclear threat.
There have been critics that say the warnings of September 11th, fell on deaf ears, and others say agency heads could not afford to listen. The belief is that the government budget cuts mandated towards specific goals. It could be plausible to not hold the counter-terrorist effort completely accountable, because they were fighting a battle they could not win. After the events such in Oklahoma City, the American public just did not want to think of a threat from Middle-Eastern countries. This was the wrong attitude of us as a country to have which lead to our vulnerability. For Michael Nacht, professor of public policy at UC Berkeley, the most fundamental impact of 9/11 is the sense of permanent vulnerability that haunts residents of Main Street and Pennsylvania Avenue alike. “It is hard to see a time when that will disappear,” said Nacht. “What happened was unthinkable, but it happened in front of our eyes.” Seized by the success of 9/11, al Qaeda has maintained its intent to conduct “spectacular” high-casualty attacks against the United States and its Western allies. According to the FBI law enforcement bulletin, a review of disrupted al Qaeda plots since 9/11 reveals that the group has continued to focus on high-profile political, economic, symbolic, and infrastructure targets, with a particular fixation on aviation. Al Qaeda also has pursued its interest in staging simultaneous attacks a theme it has