Surprise, Security, and the American Experience Essay

The momentous tragedy that occurred on September 11th, 2001 has been engraved into the memories of United States citizens. What began as an ordinary day quickly evolved into an tragedy no one could have predicted: thousands of lives had been taken and countless more devastated and ruined by the acts of terror. Although unpredicted, the horrific and frightening news affected all. The four planes individually plummeted into their targets—two crashed into the Twin Towers, another struck the Pentagon, and the final hurtled into an empty field—eliciting a wave of panic throughout the nation. The jarring images of commercial airplanes hijacked by members of the terrorist group Al-Qaida managed to instill a fear. As the terrified country anxiously fretted about the future, President George W. Bush delivered a speech to address the nation in order to soothe the tensions and worry. In George W. Bush’s “9/11 Address to the Nation,” the terrorist attack orchestrated against the U.S. is addressed with rhetorical devices such as parallel structure, imagery, and various appeals in order to inspire and heal the country.

On September 11th, 2001, a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York and on the Pentagon in Washington D.C. captured the world’s attention. Almost three thousand innocent lives were lost, leaving the event a tragic and eternal piece of U.S. history. Leaders from all reaches of the world offered their sympathies. George W. Bush, the president of the United States at the time, delivered a strong, defiant response to the terrorist attacks, appealing to the patriotic masses of his country. England’s Prime Minister Tony Blair offered a more subdued, mournful response. While Bush championed for revenge, Blair focused on hope and morality. Both leaders utilized different rhetorical devices to make their respected points.

It started with the Monroe Doctrine and then the Industrial Revolution. We had biggest industrial complex in the world. We sold to every country in the world. We were the most powerful country in the world and no one even realized it. We could have been independent. The anti-isolationist foreign policy was on the clock and the clock was running fast. With a globalizing economy everyone is directly affected. We got involved with foreign affairs before we got “involved”. What I mean is that when wars happened we were sending over weapons, which made it very likely that we would get involved. For example, World War I when German U-Boats were sinking our ships full of guns that we were giving to the Allies, which was one of the reasons we got involved. The Russian Revolution also added to fuel the fire. With the rise of Communism the Cold War became inevitable. After World War II, the world was separated into two factions. Communist v Capitalist. We lead the Capitalist/Democracy faction because we had the biggest industrial complex and most power. When you have such an influence on the world economy you are bound to be in world affairs

Tony Blair not only mentions the “horror” of September 11, 2001, but also acknowledges that the “spirit of the people of New York and America in the aftermath of that terrible day were not just admirable, they were awesome.” Initially, Tony Blair praises the audience and reassures the American citizens that “the British people were with you from the first moment,” which creates harmony between the two. Then, Tony Blair continues by saying “every nation in the world felt the reverberation of that fateful day,” implying that he is able to sympathize and empathize with them. By reassuring the American citizens and making them feel secure and safe, Tony Blair effectively alleviates their fears, allowing them to be open to the idea of

Following World War Two, the two legitimate world powers were the United States and the Soviet Union. With the Soviet Union under a communistic government and the United States being a nation founded in Capitalism, tensions between the two nations rose, resulting in the Cold War. Against the wishes of the United States, small countries in East Asia began to turn communist. Fear that one country turning would have a chain reaction turning many more, the United States turned to a policy of ‘containment’. This policy was tested in the Korean War and would be again tested in the Vietnam War. Starting as a War with the communist North Vietnam against South Vietnam and the French,

United States is viewed by many as the super power of the world. An untouchable nation with the strongest and most advanced military on earth. On September 11, 2001 a horrific attack took place on American soil that stripped U.S. citizens of their sense of securities. Two planes hijacked by terrorists crashed into the World Trade Center causing massive chaos. Serving as president at the time, Bush responded with a statement. In this speech, Bush comforted American citizens with the promise of recovery and to bring those responsible to justice.

The U.S then pushed their foreign policy further, by employing brinkmanship, which pushed both nations to the brink of war. Because of this, the federal government’s power, specifically the President, expanded. The CIA, which answers directly to the President, was created and nuclear bombs went under Presidential control, which increased executive power. With these new powers, the U.S could be better prepared for a possible war with the Soviets. However, the U.S needed to be more prepared, militarily and technologically. The Space race led to the creation of NASA, while the desire to build up militarily lead to the Military Industrial Complex, which is a partnership between the military and the weapons industry. This left the U.S at the top of economics, technology, and weaponry, which persists into the present. All this led to a fundamental change in American foreign policy because the U.S has the means to go to the brink of war and over for the sake of stopping communism and other conflicts, whereas prior to the Cold War, the U.S wasn’t as militarized and willing to go to

The attacks left everyone speechless. All planes were grounded and many buildings were evacuated. Everyone was in fear. Then, at 9:59 am, World Trade Centers South Tower collapses. Debris covered the street and smoke was everywhere. People ran as fast as they could away from the collapsed building in fear of dying. When at 10:28 am the North Tower collapses as well. Out “of the 2,843 people killed on September 11, 2,617 died at the World Trade Center.” (A. 965) America was clearly under attack and was going to fight back against the people that did the harm. President Bush declared that Americans would “stand together to win the war against terrorism.” (A. 965)

On the morning of September 11, 2001, exactly at 9:22 a.m., I woke up to start my day and turned my television on. Instantly, Fox News had reported that a commercial plane had smashed into the Twin Towers of New York City, just minutes earlier. While the story was certainly shocking, I wanted to know more and watched the horrific aftermath unfold, as it continued to happen. I remember an incredible feeling of sadness that I could do nothing to help the people in these buildings, as well as a great concern that more attempts could be made to create further tragedy elsewhere.

The terrorist attack on 9/11 rattled the nation. In the immediate aftermath of the attack, it was entirely necessary for a resonant response by the United States to show that the country does not stand for such blatant disregard of human life. With the benefit of hindsight, it is now possible to look back and discern what factors drove the changes that were made to foreign and domestic policy as a direct result of the 9/11 attacks. Ultimately, both policy changes were emotionally driven, but it appears quite clear that the domestic response was largely anxiety driven, while the foreign policy response was dominated by anger and a desire for

September 11, 2001 will forever mark a permanent scar on our nation’s history. It marks the day our nation lost thousands of lives as well as ravishing infrastructure that will forever remain engraved in the hearts of every American. It marks the day that our nation fell apart emotionally, but also the day that our nation came together as one. Putting aside all differences politically and socially, September 11 is the day our nation mourned as one. On the same day, our former president George W. Bush formulated one of his most memorable speeches. He not only took this moment to address the severity and despondency of the occasion, but he also took this opportune time to guide our nation on how to recuperate from one of the bloodiest and

After WWII, the U.S. became fully interventionist. US interventionism was motivated primarily to contain the spread and influence of communism and made us a leader in global security, economic and social issues. We then entered into the Cold War. President Truman’s Containment policy was the first major policy during the Cold War and used numerous strategies to prevent the spread of communism abroad.

Even in attempting to show the political and economic characteristics of hegemony, the term does not provide a contribution in understanding a more stable international system. The US during the post war period in maintaining their status as a hegemon has been problematic. There are contradictions to the maintenance of hegemony that has it made it very difficult for the US to keep their status. First, the privileges enjoyed by the hegemon are abnormal in the context where there are supposed to be specific and universal rules and principles. Second, “The hegemon may weary of the special burdens necessary to sustain” (Skidmore 26). The hegemon being the dominant power is going to have to define interest in broader terms, which can lead to

Now because of the momentum that the United States was gaining, they were clearly the most fiscally stable, they had the power and capability to enforce rules, and had a commitment to the world to repair the economy. These three attributes are considered absolutely necessary to become a hegemony. A hegemony is defined as a leadership or dominance, especially by one country or social group over others. Competition at this time period was close to non existent because of the economic boom that the golden age of capitalism brought. By being the sole choice due to their global power position (more clearly, their position on the petroleum and competition with the USSR) America helped the introduction of the Hegemony stability theory. This theory states that the global economy of the world would be better off if there was a singular dominant world power. The

Throughout time, the United States has encountered a myriad of threats to its national security, which resulted in the creation of various policies in order to prevent similar situations. On September 11, 2001 America faced an event that enveloped the country in fear. Two planes were crashed into the North and South towers of the World Trade Center complex in New York City, causing American’s to question whether the country was truly safe. The lack of communication during the occurrence impeded Americans from comprehending the situation and quickly assisting individuals near the attack, leaving many Americans scared. Nonetheless, in response to the incident, security was strengthened and measures to promote the safety of all Americans were established in order to stop terrorists before they attack.