Freedom is the rights of every individual to act as they choose, however, our freedoms are taken away when terrorism strikes. Terrorism plants fear in the minds of every individual and disrupts everyday activities. On September 11, 2001 the single worst terrorist attack any country has suffered in modern times occurred in New York City, at the World Trade Center. 6,000 people were killed and the minds and spirit of all Americans were changed forever. After the attacks, many freedoms were taken from us. For example, the freedom to fly in an airplane without fearing it will be hijacked, opening a letter in the mail without the fear of anthrax, and the simple freedom of living every day without fear. America is currently at war against terrorism and we are committed to fight and insure the safety of every person living in our nation. .
Terrorism is an international problem worldwide and all nations are affected, directly or indirectly. Most nations are against terrorism, while others condone and even support active, vicious terrorism and terrorist groups. Terrorism is defined by the US State Department to contain four elements. "The first is a threat of violence or an act of violence. Next is a political objective. Third is that violence and threat of violence is a direct attack on civilians making civilians a primary target. Lastly, it is perpetrated by a supporting a nation or nations of terrorism." (Whitaker, 2001) One of the main goals of a terrorist act is to make the terrorist's views heard. This can be achieved by the media blitz that generally occurs after a terrorist attack. The media is an excellent avenue for terrorists to cry their demands and views after an attack. The United States does have a strict policy when it comes to terrorism. Our country refuses to negotiate with terrorists or give in to any of their demands. We try to isolate terrorist-sponsoring nations, such as Iraq, from the rest of the world and conduct counter-terrorism activities.
