The Influence Of The Bush Doctrine

In the following months and years, then president George W. Bush and the military began planning the retaliation. It quickly became clear that the president’s goal was not simply to defeat bin Laden and al-Qaeda, but to eliminate other terrorist groups as well. On September 20th, 2001 during a speech Bush said the following “Our ‘war on terror’ begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated.” (Bush, 2001)

From this manipulation of the word evil, one can find the more concealed connection Bush is making; between America and love. As America is the opposite of terrorists, America therefore must also be the opposite of evil, love. Due to these connections and associations, there is a greater emphasis on Bush’s other rhetoric theme, his biblical allusion. He quotes psalm 23 as, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil for you are with me” (Kohn). From these connections, one can infer that “fearing no evil” represents the terrorists, and Bush is telling the citizens of America to be strong and not concede to fear. From the use of diction and allusions, there is a much larger emphasis of the ideas being conveyed in the speech.

“None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world.” That was one of George W. Bush’s many emotional yet strong sayings in his speech of the tragic 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York city. His goal of unifying, making the country feel bonded together, was achieved through vivid and organized word choice. He chose these words to connect with the people of america's emotions and feelings, while also displaying authority and logical sense that terrorism is a threat to the world.

On September 11th 2001, the United States was hit with a devastating blow when four commercial airplanes were hijacked by Al-Qaeda terrorist who deliberately crashed two of the planes into the World Trade Center complex, and a third plane into the Pentagon. The fourth plane, headed for Washington D.C., instead crashed in Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 lives were lost on this egregious day. In response, President George W. Bush waged the controversial “Global War on Terrorism” which turned out to be a self-inflicted wound for America, bleeding still today. Bush’s highly-criticized decision was inconsistent with the strategic principles of war.

"…the President is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of

From its humble beginnings, the United States of America has expressed its intention to assist individuals who desired freedom by serving as an exemplar of liberty. Originally, Americans sought to preserve their republic by avoiding all foreign altercations and external constraints. At the dawn of the nineteenth century, in his first inaugural address Thomas Jefferson warned his audience of the potential dangers of foreign affairs by stating, “Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none,” pleading for a delicate balance between national security and commerce. This sentiment on foreign policy was reiterated on July 4, 1821, by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams when he said, “America does not go abroad, in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all.” At the dawn of the 21st century, the implications from Adam’s statement are no longer consistent with the demands of American national security. The key tenets of the Bush doctrine, democratization and preemption, have deviated from Adam’s vision and redefined United States foreign policy for the 21st century.

The Bush Doctrine was a foreign policy that declared Invasion through Iraq in 2003. The doctrine stated that the United States was "Taking anticipatory action to defend ourselves, even if uncertainty remains as to the time and place of the enemy's attack." Prior to the 9/11 attacks, the National Security was at a low, and the Bush Doctrine signaled a break from the lack of defense and represented a new format of how United States was going to take action towards the rest of the world. Bush had clearly stated that the United States was going to take actions to all and any nations that were knowingly harboring terrorists. George Bush had also said that the justification of the new policy was to prevent propagation of mass destruction anywhere around the world. The U.S.A did not want to allow their attackers strike first, and so they decided to go on the offense, and take battle to them. Not only did they take the war to Iraq, but it was extended when it was determined the Taliban government of Afghanistan was also harboring and providing safe haven for known

“Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts. We have taken the necessary security precautions and are prepared to do whatever is necessary to protect America and Americans.” President George W. Bush

Prior to 9/11there had been various terrorist attacks on Americans around the world and on American soil. However the events of September 11 intensely changed the United States Government’s approach towards terrorism. After September 11, the Bush Administration changed the previous American approach, which had primarily employed the combined tools of diplomatic cooperation, economic sanctions, and internationally coordinated law enforcement measures (Lee 2007: 137). Instead, the President declared in the aftermath of September 11 that the United States was engaged in a war on terrorism. In this war all terrorists who plotted against the United States and those who supported them were subject to American justice. This new

Bush gives his Presidential Address to a Joint Session of Congress on the 9/11 Attacks (2001), he maintains a very direct/to the point voice while giving his speech. Starting his speech off with, “Tonight, no such report is needed. It has already been delivered by the American people, (1)” meaning we, Americans, have seen and been apart of the damage first hand. He then states the main point he goes along with for the majority of his speech, “Tonight we are a country awakened to danger and called to defend freedom (3).” Bush does not talk about ways our nation could or could not go about this issue he simply states exactly what is going to happen, taking a directive stand. “These demands are not open to negotiation or discussion. The Taliban must act, and act immediately…they will hand over the terrorists, or they will share in their fate (9),” Bush states as he is demonstrating he is standing up, taking charge and being direct. Bush not only is sending orders to the terrorists’ who had part in the attacks but, “Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists…from this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the USA as a hostile regime (14),” showing he means business. Taking a step back and looking at where we are in this war on terrorism today gave me goose-bumps when I read this statement by Bush, “Americans should not expect one

As we move into the twenty-first century people are confronted with complicated and compromising matters affecting the intricately convoluted global system. New forms of aggression and threat are the faces that greet policy-makers as they spend many hours arranging ways to counter future attacks such as terrorism or massive drug trafficking across national borders. President George W. Bush has issued a mandate in an undertake to regain control over future acts of aggression such as terrorism in the United States; he issued the Executive Order of Homeland Security as that initial step.

September eleven was the first time that America was attacked on its territory by foreigners. Bush’s message was America would always rebuild no matter the tragedy. George Bush connects with those affected by the tragedies by classifying groups that were involved in the event. He says,” The victim were in airplanes or in their offices: secretaries businessmen and women, military and federal workers, moms and dads, friends and neighbors” The classification of the victims made the address very emotional. George Bush was so emotional that he declared war on terrorism. Bush also address people that wish harm to America. By letting them know that,” These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. but they have failed. Our country is strong”. This part of his message not only discourages those that wish harm on America but it consoles the grieving Americans. Bush also use we like Clinton to increase the feeling of national unity. Bush also dedicates a whole section of his speech to let Americans know that we are prepared for anything that come in the future by mentioning the readiness of the military as well as plans that are being implemented. This puts reassures in his audience and gives Americans faith that they can move past this tragedy. Like president Clinton, Bush also uses a biblical reference to further his message. Bush quotes Psalms

Bin Laden’s letter toward the United States exemplified the idea of radical Islam to convert the world into Islam. This radical idea clearly disregarded the justness of any other ideologies and religions without any elaborations. While the West widely criticized this radical religious idea, Bush’s speech post 911 had actually shown a similar disregard for any dissent. In his speech, Bush stated “night fell on a different world, a world where freedom itself is under attack,” (Bush) The quote implicitly put the universal world “freedom” into a domestic level, but failed to acknowledge that the freedom for the United States or the Western society may not apply for other countries. Both Bin Laden and Bush failed to realize the possible coexistence

September 11th, 2001 has changed and defined American foreign policy for the past two decades. Enemies of the United States are no longer only other nations, but also terrorist groups, which operate transnationally and even between continents. On the night of September 11th, in the aftermath of the deadliest terror attack the world has seen, former President George W. Bush and his War Cabinet officially declared the start of the “War on Terror”. Bush would say on September 19th, 2001,

The Global War on Terror is a military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom and supported by other NATO members. It was originally against al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations with the purpose of eliminating them. This paper discusses how the Bush Administration handled the War on Terror as well as different aspects of it, including its terminology, its objectives, its military operations and criticism against it.