The true path to the deadliest attack on American soil was relatively unknown until Richard Clarke gave his public testimony in front of the 9/11 Commission. In his memoir, Against All Enemies: Inside America’s War on Terror, Clarke gives readers an inside look at what exactly led up to the 9/11 attacks and how he tried to bring light to the threat long before Al Qaeda’s plan came to fruition. This page-turner is very thoughtful and disturbing, as well as highly critical of the Bush administration. Ultimately, Clarke tells the tale of an ignorant government which refused to heed the warnings he gave at every level. Richard Clarke is the most informed insider pertaining to the terrorism threat which grew to culminate on the World Trade Center. He was the foremost authority on counter-terrorism within the United States government. Clarke spent 30 years in government service beginning with the Department of Defense as an intern, then to the State Department under President Ronald Reagan, next given a seat with the United States Security Council and appointed to the Counter-terrorism Security Group by President H.W. Bush. Under President Bill Clinton, he was kept onboard and appointed to serve as the chief …show more content…
(Clarke) It gives the reader the sense of panic and confusion flowing through every senior government official. The way Clarke describes the turmoil as Condoleezza Rice, Bush’s National Security Advisor, demanded he take over the role as the crisis manager in the Situation Room is intense. At one point in the book, Clarke shares how President Bush had been pacing around the Situation Room until he stopped and said, “Go back over everything, everything. See if Saddam did this.” (Clarke 32) Clarke claims to have replied to the President that his assumption was ludicrous, and it was apparent Al Qaeda orchestrated the
September 11, 2001 marked a tragic day in the history of the United States; a terrorist attack had left the country shaken. It did not take long to determine those who were behind the attack and a call for retribution swept through the nation. Citizens in a wave of patriotism signed up for military service and the United States found resounding international support for their efforts in the war on terror. Little opposition was raised at the removal of the Taliban regime and there was much support for bringing Osama Bin Laden and the leaders of al-Qaeda to justice. Approval abroad diminished approximately a year and a half later when Afghanistan became a stepping stone to the administration’s larger ambition, the invasion of Iraq. The administration would invent several stories and in some cases remain silent of the truth where would prove positive for the Iraqi invasion. It seems they were willing to say anything to promote the largely unpopular and unnecessary war they were resolved on engaging in.
Hunting big game animals for sport was a popular pastime with the wealthy classes following World War I. The morality of killing for sport was not questioned in reality, but in this short story the author does question it by taking it a step further and having the protagonist, Sangor Rainsford, hunted by the antagonist, General Zaroff.In a short story full of irony, one of the greatest ironies of Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game” is that General Zaroff repeatedly tells Rainsford that he maintains a sense of civilization on his island.
Following the devastating terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, the Unites States found itself in a search for answers and revenge against those that had brought about this atrocity. The attack that has been compared to that of Pearl-Harbor elevated the tracking and collecting of terrorism from barely a priority, to the forefront of the American radar. I honestly believe that terrorism as the #1 priority is destined to remain at the top for the foreseeable future. The elemental thoughts on almost all American minds following the attacks were who had the strength and capability to could carry out such an attack on a country with the world’s strongest military and what led to their focus to attack the Untied States: In short, who attacked us, and why do they hate us? The Untied States formed a bi-partisan 9/11 Commission was formed to trace the roots of Al-Qa’ida, investigate the history of the 19 hijackers, examine missed opportunities of law enforcement officials to avert the disaster, and make recommendations to clean up the faulty incoherent intelligence-gathering operation. The 500+ page 9/11 Commission Report contained thirteen chapters of historical narratives, analysis and recommendations. All ten members of the bi-partisan commission signed off on the report, which has arguably become a national historical document. Just as the 9/11 Commission was created to find answers and recommend necessary follow steps to ensure history doesn’t repeat itself, Lawrence Wright sought answers as to why 3000 American lives were lost in the attacks on September 11th. An experienced traveler to the region, Lawrence Wright endeavored to do his own investigative study into the history, ideology and circumstances behind this large-...
Host: On September the 11th 2001, the notorious terror organisation known as Al-Qaeda struck at the very heart of the United States. The death count was approximately 3,000; a nation was left in panic. To this day, counterterrorism experts and historians alike regard the event surrounding 9/11 as a turning point in US foreign relations. Outraged and fearful of radical terrorism from the middle-east, President Bush declared that in 2001 that it was a matter of freedoms; that “our very freedom has come under attack”. In his eyes, America was simply targeted because of its democratic and western values (CNN News, 2001). In the 14 years following this pivotal declaration, an aggressive, pre-emptive approach to terrorism replaced the traditional
As the sweltering, hot sun signified the start of a scorching afternoon, a young boy lay in the fields harvesting vegetables for another family. He had been enslaved to perform chores around the house for the family, and was only given very few privileges. While his stomach throbbed with pangs of hunger, he continued cooking meals for them. After the family indulged in the cozy heat from the fireplace, he was the one to clean the ashes. Despite his whole body feeling sore from all the rigorous work he completed, the young boy had been left alone to suffer. As months passed by, he desired independence. He wanted to cook his own food, make his own fire, harvest his own plants and earn money. The lad soon discovered that he needed faith and courage to break away from his restricted environment. When put in a suppressive situation, every person has the aspiration to escape the injustice. This is what Harrison Bergeron and Sanger Rainsford do to liberate themselves from the external forces that govern their lives. Harrison, the main character of “Harrison Bergeron” written by Kurt Vonnegut, is a strong, fourteen year old boy whose talents have been concealed by the government. Growing up in an environment where equality has restricted people’s thinking, Harrison endeavors to change society’s views. Rainsford, the main character of “The Most Dangerous Game” written by Richard Connell, is a skilled hunter who believes that animals were made to be hunted; he has no sympathy for them. Stranded on island with a killer chasing him, he learns to make rational choices. While both Harrison and Ranisford are courageous characters, Rainsford’s prudence enables him to overpower his enemy, whereas Harrison’s impulsive nature results in him being ...
An author’s main goal is to entice readers with their stories. In order to do so, they use various literary elements. The literary elements create mood, plot, and much excitement. Richard Connell’s short story “The Most Dangerous Game” tells the story of Rainsford, who becomes trapped on an island and must fight. Suzanne Collins's trilogy The Hunger Games is the story of how Katniss must defeat the odds pitted against her. Connell and Collins use the elements of foreshadowing, allusion, and irony to create a sense of fear in their writings. An allusion is a reference to a statement, a person, a place or an event. In "The Most Dangerous Game," Richard Connell makes use of allusions frequently. In the very beginning of the story, Whitney says, "I hope the jaguar guns have come from Purdey's" (Connell 19). Purdey’s is a famous manufacturer of shotguns and rifles, and Connell includes it in the story so readers will come to understand that Whitney and Rainsford are fervent hunters. Furthermore, General Zaroff labels Ivan as a "Cossack”; Cossacks were known for their remarkable battle-skills. Thus, Zaroff shows Ivan as a fierce hunter whom Rainsford should fear. Also, as Rainsford hurries through the forest trying to comprise a plan to baffle General Zaroff, Zaroff sits in his home humming a tune from Madame Butterfly-a famous opera by Puccini. Then, right before he is about to go to bed, he reads "from the works of Marcus Aurelius”, a Roman emperor. Connell makes these references to help readers to benefit from some foreknowledge concerning his story and the characters/situations in it. Suzanne Collin’s has a way with words when it comes to using allusions. The Hunger Games is basically one over-arching allusion to Ancient Rome. The G...
The article "The Frivolity of Evil" by Theodore Dalrymple analyzes the causes of human misery. His work as a psychiatrist in Great Britains slums afforded him a great vantage point to analyze this topic "nearer to the fundamental of human existence." He concluded that the citizens of Great Britian willingly participated in precipitating their own misery. Their are three recurring theme in his article the lack of moral responsibility, extreme individualism and lack of cultural expectations. Dalrymple begins his article by showing the mind frame of a prisoner released from prison, who had the idea that he had paid his debt to society. In order to get his point across Dalrymple compares the prisoners situation to his very own, the 14 years he spent as a psychiatrist in the slums of Great Britain. He had a choice to choose a different neighborhood just like the prisoner had a choice not to commit the crime. His argument in this article is that our misery stems from the choices we make about how we choose to live our lives. He was also able to cement his arguments by comparing and contrasting the political and social differences between Great Britain and those of Liberia, North Korea and Central America. Dalrymple observed that the people in other countries had their choices taken way from them the crimes and brutality committed in these countries where not their own making. However, in Great Britain the life of violence and poverty was "unforced and spontaneous." Dalrymple argues that the evils in his country are a product of a society that promotes individualism and accepts the right of its citizens to pursue pleasures for their own self interest.
James Bamford wrote the book “A Pretext for War”, in 2004. The topic of this book is that it explains the systematic weakness that led to the ignorance or misinterpreted evidence of the pending terrorist attack on 9/11. The authors thesis is clearly stated on the title of the book “9/11, Iraq, and The Abuse of America’s Intelligence Agencies.” After reading this book, Bamford does explain everything he said in his thesis. I will talk about how the author organized his book, the style of his book, and about the author himself.
With America still in doubt about the twin towers, George W. Bush presented his information in a well-organized style of manner that was followed with a lot of questions and answers. This gave Bush more of a personable tone, which made the audience feel very relaxed and at ease. Many of the American people, as well as Congressman, had the same questions that Bush had addressed, and they were clinging to Bush’s every word in hopes of shedding light upon what occurred during this tragic event. The questions were very well sought out, as it allowed President Bush to control the speech in a way that would imply immediate action be taken, as opposed to a more cautious approach.
When a giant explosion ripped through Alfred P. Murrah federal building April 19,1995, killing 168 and wounding hundreds, the United States of America jumped to a conclusion we would all learn to regret. The initial response to the devastation was all focused of middle-eastern terrorists. “The West is under attack,”(Posner 89), reported the USA Today. Every news and television station had the latest expert on the middle east telling the nation that we were victims of jihad, holy war. It only took a few quick days to realize that we were wrong and the problem, the terrorist, was strictly domestic. But it was too late. The damage had been done. Because America jumped to conclusions then, America was later blind to see the impending attack of 9/11. The responsibility, however, is not to be placed on the America people. The public couldn’t stand to hear any talk of terrorism, so in turn the White House irresponsibly took a similar attitude. They concentrated on high public opinion and issues that were relevant to Americans everyday. The government didn’t want to deal with another public blunder like the one in Oklahoma City. A former FBI analyst recalls, “when I went to headquarters (Washington, D.C.) later that year no one was interested in hearing anything about Arab money connections unless it had something to do with funding domestic groups. We stumbled so badly on pinpointing the Middle East right off the bat on the Murrah bombing. No one wanted to get caught like that again,”(Posner 90). The result saw changes in the counter terrorism efforts; under funding, under manning, poor cooperation between agencies, half-hearted and incompetent agency official appointees and the list goes on. All of these decisions, made at the hands of the faint-hearted, opened the doors wide open, and practically begged for a terrorist attack. So who’s fault is it? The public’s for being
In Richard Connell's short story, "The Most Dangerous Game';, the use of literary devices, found blended with other literary devices, gives the story an inner meaning. The blending of literary devices effectively expresses the intentions of Connell to present contrast between the antagonist and protagonist points of view. As a result, the reader can gain insight on the good and evil sides of the story to enhance the purpose of his interpretation. "The Most Dangerous Game'; by Richard Connell presents literary devices such as foreshadowing, setting, and irony which reveal the underlying meaning of the story.
Historical Significance: The September 11th, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, orchestrated by Al-Qaeda and Bin Laden, were the events that launched the U.S. War on Terrorism. Al-Qaeda’s attack on the United States was carried out by members of radicalized Islamic groups, whose objective was to spread jihad against the secular influence of the West. This tragic event provided the historical b...
Traister, Bryce. "Terrorism Before The Letter: Benito Cereno And The 9/11 Commission Report." Canadian Review Of American Studies 43.1 (2013): 23-47.MasterFILE Elite. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
... Sept. 11th, 2001, terrorist attack on theWorld Trade Center and the unreliability of U.S. intelligence onWeapons of mass Destruction in Iraq have been a focus of intense scrutiny in the U.S. in 2004 particularly in the context of the 9/11 Commision , the continuing armed resistance against U.S. occupation of Iraq, and the widely perceived need for systematic review of the respective roles of the CIA, FBI and the Defense Intelligence Agency. On July 9th, 2004 the Senate report of Pre-war Intelligenceon Iraq of the Senate Intelligence Committe stated that the CIA described the danger presented by Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq in an unreasonable way, largely unsupported by the available intelligence. In a briefing held Sept 15th, 2001 George Tenet presented the Worldwide Attack Matrix, a "top-secret" document describing covert CIA anti-terror operations in 80 countries in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. The actions, underway or being recommended, would range from "routine propaganda to lethal covert action in preparation for military attacks". The plans, if carried out, "would give the CIA the broadest and most lethal authority in its history".
Roth, John, Greensburg, Douglas, and Wille, Serena (2004). National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States- Monograph on Terrorist Financing, National Commission of Terrorist Attacks, Retrieved from http://www.9-11commission.gov/staff_statements/911_TerrFin_Monograph.pdf.