War Against Terrorism: Where Does America?

There can be no doubt that our country is facing its greatest challenge, that of restoring its sense of security and rebuilding the morale of our people, while simultaneously waging a war of unknown dimensions against terrorism. After viewing video tapes and acutely listening to news reports and commentaries describing the September eleventh attacks and its aftermath, I realize that there is a great deal of information to contemplate before I would be able to assess somewhat intelligently our country's current position. In order to help make this task a little less intimidating, this essay will limit its discussion to America's position directly following the attacks and its present relation to foreign nations. In the end, I hope to have a better understanding of where our nation currently stands independently and in regard to the rest of the world.

The attacks on America have led to a tremendous upheaval to the United States and the rest of the world. Americans have changed both as a people, and as a nation; in regard to our economic stability, our feelings of vulnerability and our methods of defense, our nationalism, and most recently our military place in the world. Our country has been in a state of transition since September eleventh. We have shifted from a preliminary state of chaos and recovery to one of war and retaliation.

September 11, 2001 is a date that will be remembered. The initial shock from the tragic events that have occurred will be forever etched in the hearts and souls of all Americans. However, the best thing to do, according to President Bush, is to recover and move on. Americans have returned to work and the markets have reopened. The United States is trying harder than ever to get its economy back on track. On September thirteenth Bush stated, "I have great faith in the resiliency of the economy. No question about it, this incident has affected our economy, but the markets will open and people will go back to work. We'll show the world." As time went on, each day brought fresh evidence that the year-long deterioration in the economy had further intensified since September eleventh and an economic recovery plan was settled. It was agreed by the Senate and the House that there was a need for a package of tax cuts and spending increases in order to put more money in the hands of consumers, spur more investment by business, and provide additional aid to people who have lost jobs.