In the years following the September 11 attacks, 33 terrorist incidents have occurred on U.S. soil. The U.K. has experienced 190, and Israel has reported numbers in the thousands (National Counterterrorism Center, 2011).

Resource: National Counterterrorism Center. (2011). 2011 report on terrorism. Retrieved

fromhttp://www.ise.gov/sites/default/files/ISE_Annual_Report_to_Congress_2011.pdf

Review the incidents from this list of significant terrorist activities here and abroad. You can research these for a fuller understanding of how terrorism has affected the United States in the last decade.

• 2002: Failed attempt to shoot down an Israeli jetliner in Kenya

• 2002: Attack of French tanker off coast of Yemen

• 2002: Shooting at Los Angeles International Airport by Hesham Mohamen Ali Heayat results in the deaths of two people

• 2002: Bombing of nightclub in Bali, Indonesia

• 2003: Car bombing of JW Marriot hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia

• 2004: Commuter train bombings in Madrid, Spain

• 2004: Attack of Western oil companies and housing compounds in Al Khobar, Saudia Arabia, results in death of 22 people

• 2004: Armed assailants breached U.S. consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, resulting in 5 deaths

• 2005: Bombings of London underground trains and bus

• 2005: American citizen Michael Reynolds in Pocatello, Idaho, offers to assist al-Qaida in acts of terrorism by planning attacks and describing bomb making techniques

• 2007: IED explosions at restaurant in Cotabato, Philippines, results in three people critically injured

• 2009: Shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, by Sunni extremist results in 56 wounded or killed

• 2002-present: Thousands of car bombings, suicide bombings, and attacks on civilians in Iraq

Write a 750-to 1,050-word paper in which you consider some of the following questions. Use specific events, including at least two from the list above, to support your ideas.

• Why is there heavier terrorism activity in certain areas of the world?

• What do the sites of terrorist activities have in common?

• Could laws, procedures, or organizations, either national or international, have prevented these attacks?

• Who should determine what sorts of laws and organizations are most effective? Defend your position.

• Does the United States have a moral obligation, a practical reason, or both, for becoming involved in stopping terrorist activities in other countries? Defend your position.

• How has the idea of terrorism affected the lives of individual Americans since 9/11?

• How have American priorities changed since 9/11?

Support your responses with factual references.