preview

ISIS: Radical Islamist Groups In The United States

Decent Essays

The most recent presidential race associated the most dangerous fear and entity to the United States is ISIS, which is a radical Islamist extremist group that models their actions closely with Sharia Law. ISIS mainly consists of terrorists that are willing to do anything to destroy more prominent Western civilization. ISIS is the terrorist group of this current generation; however, they were not the first terrorist group in this region. Terrorist groups started as a result of Arab nations lack of ability to militarily confront Israel during the 1960s. The Palestinian secular movements such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Al Fatah began to target civilians that were not associated within the immediate arena of conflict. …show more content…

Americans have admired Israelis throughout history which many believe is due to the American heritage in Israel’s pioneering spirit and struggle for independence (Jewish Virtual Library). Israel is a nation that has produced a melting pot or multicultural society which is compiled of citizens from more than 100 different nations. The United States is famously known for the multicultural society and advocates for other nations to utilize the same way of thinking. Israel is also deeply committed to democracy and the value of guaranteeing rights for every individual living within the country, which is another key American legislative motive. Israel shares American’s passion for education and publishes the most books per capita than anywhere else in the world (Jewish Virtual Library). These shared values are the reason the United States has pledged support for Israel. Former Secretary of State Alexander Haig described Israel as our “unsinkable aircraft carrier” in the Middle East (Addis). Israel provides intel on neighboring countries and is invaluable to America for educating themselves on the events and controversies of the Middle East. Former correspondent Robert Kaplan stated that ““Our allegiance to Israel is a matter not only of its being a democracy but also of its being a valuable chess piece — a pro-American military dynamo in the heart of the Middle East” (Addis) …show more content…

Multiple terrorist attacks has deteriorated the perception of the Middle East and all of the citizens within the region. On November 4th, 1979, Iranian youth and students who advocated for the new regime held 63 Americans hostage at the United States Embassy in Tehran. This action exemplified the beginning of the rise of the Shiite power in the Middle East. On October 23rd, 1983, bombings that were triggered simultaneously killed 241 American soldiers as well as 57 French paratroopers in the Beirut barracks, which caused the troops to be withdrawn from the region. President Reagan and his administration during the Iran-Contra Affair negotiated arms-for-hostage deals with Iran, which is an example of the United States ignorantly and indirectly arming terrorist groups. Ronald Reagan, who preached that he would not stand for terrorism, supported Saddam Hussein in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War because he thought that Hussein would eradicate the Iranian regime and end the Islamic Revolution that was occurring. Contrary to Reagan’s belief, Hussein was the primary antagonist of George H.W. Bush Administration. Hussein invaded Kuwait despite neighboring countries pleading them not to making the Bush Administration intervene with the situation. Operation Desert Storm was Bush’s response the Hussein’s increasing power in the region. The strategy was to deploy United

Get Access