September 11 And The Middle East

The Affects of the State of the Union on the Middle East

In the years since September 11th, 2001, Americas interest has increasingly focused on the Middle Eastern region. With American troops in both Afghanistan and Iraq, the 2007 State of the Union address to Congress was expected to focus on the status of both wars and the plan to transfer security in these places to the newly-formed governments. In attempting to balance the safety of millions of people while allowing them to make their own decisions under the rule of Democracy creates a difficult environment; one, according to the President, that many extremist groups and terrorists are doing everything within their power to upset. The impending failure or success of Democracy in the Middle East will determine the level of involvement the United States will have in the region in the upcoming years.

Whether or not the United States should have invaded Iraq is a moot point; American troops are in the region and dying in the attempt to bring the western freedoms to the country. President Bush stated that this war is truly a "decisive ideological struggle." That is to say that we are fighting an enemy whose religious beliefs differ than that of the average American voter.

The President also went into detail regarding the fact that there have been no attacks on American civilians since September 11 2001. This is due to the heightened security of our borders and the constant lookout by law enforcement officials for terrorist threats. The President also spoke of the fact that terrorists around the world are finding it much more difficult to operate due to the fact that they are now constantly on the run and do not have the easy access that they once had to weapons, funding and other necessities of terrorism. This has ultimately