Week 8 Discussion: Brave New World
Option 1: Why wasn't the U.S. and its vastly superior intelligence and military
able to stop these attacks? How effective are current measures in dealing with attack
prevention? Have we really learned from past mistakes?
Option 2: What new problems did the Iraqi War cause for the U.S. and its allies
around the world? What effects has it had on the U.S. economy?
Option 3: How much more difficult is it to battle an idea or faith, even a violent
one, skewed and brutal than to defeat a nation in war like the U.S. and its allies did
during World War II? Consider the role technology plays in the dissemination of faith.
Option 4: Compare European imperialism to current globalism. How has each
changed society, both in industrialized nations and developing nations? Is the claim
that globalism is a form of imperialism valid?
Option 5: Where do we go from here? Who will the best friends and the worst
enemies of the United States be in the coming decades? Will we really, finally achieve
that peace and prosperity we all hoped would come to pass?
Option 1: Why wasn't the U.S. and its vastly superior intelligence and military
able to stop these attacks? How effective are current measures in dealing with
attack prevention? Have we really learned from past mistakes?
I think the reason why it is so difficult to stop these attacks, despite the level of
intelligence and military, is because of the number of people they are able to
recruit. Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) recruited thousands and thousands
via things like social media. They were spreading like wildfire. Regardless of the
level of intelligence, it is still difficult to keep up with so many recruits. Unlike Al-
Qaeda and other terrorism groups that usually have a small fleet not large
enough to take on other nation’s militaries, groups like ISIS had the money and
the population to cause significant destruction. Also, when the core beliefs of a
group are religious based, it is nearly impossible if not impossible to create any
sort of channel of communication, no discussions to attempt to find middle
ground. According to Duiker, “in the Middle East today, all aspects of society and
culture—from political and economic issues to literature, art, and the role of the
family—are intertwined with questions of religious faith” (2015). Having religion
and or faith is a wonderful thing that can be very beneficial but not when it is
used for evil.
This does not mean it is impossible to not get ahead which we have proven to
have done. However, according to Daniel Benjamin, “although ISIS has been
defeated in Iraq, many analysts believe the group still has plenty of fighters in the
field who went to ground instead of trying to combat a vastly more powerful foe,
and that the group will mount an offensive sometime soon” (2019). It is important
that the United States continues to invest in counterterrorism efforts. Benjamin
also had a sobering thought, “jihadist terrorism is a fact of the contemporary
world, that it can be managed but not eradicated” (2019). Since the attacks on
the World Trade Center on 9/11, we have been taking excellent measures to
This study source was downloaded by 100000849840424 from CourseHero.com on 07-14-2022 19:44:00 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/52688784/Week-8-Discussion-Brave-New-Worlddocx/
Option 1: Why wasn't the U.S. and its vastly superior intelligence and military
able to stop these attacks? How effective are current measures in dealing with attack
prevention? Have we really learned from past mistakes?
Option 2: What new problems did the Iraqi War cause for the U.S. and its allies
around the world? What effects has it had on the U.S. economy?
Option 3: How much more difficult is it to battle an idea or faith, even a violent
one, skewed and brutal than to defeat a nation in war like the U.S. and its allies did
during World War II? Consider the role technology plays in the dissemination of faith.
Option 4: Compare European imperialism to current globalism. How has each
changed society, both in industrialized nations and developing nations? Is the claim
that globalism is a form of imperialism valid?
Option 5: Where do we go from here? Who will the best friends and the worst
enemies of the United States be in the coming decades? Will we really, finally achieve
that peace and prosperity we all hoped would come to pass?
Option 1: Why wasn't the U.S. and its vastly superior intelligence and military
able to stop these attacks? How effective are current measures in dealing with
attack prevention? Have we really learned from past mistakes?
I think the reason why it is so difficult to stop these attacks, despite the level of
intelligence and military, is because of the number of people they are able to
recruit. Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) recruited thousands and thousands
via things like social media. They were spreading like wildfire. Regardless of the
level of intelligence, it is still difficult to keep up with so many recruits. Unlike Al-
Qaeda and other terrorism groups that usually have a small fleet not large
enough to take on other nation’s militaries, groups like ISIS had the money and
the population to cause significant destruction. Also, when the core beliefs of a
group are religious based, it is nearly impossible if not impossible to create any
sort of channel of communication, no discussions to attempt to find middle
ground. According to Duiker, “in the Middle East today, all aspects of society and
culture—from political and economic issues to literature, art, and the role of the
family—are intertwined with questions of religious faith” (2015). Having religion
and or faith is a wonderful thing that can be very beneficial but not when it is
used for evil.
This does not mean it is impossible to not get ahead which we have proven to
have done. However, according to Daniel Benjamin, “although ISIS has been
defeated in Iraq, many analysts believe the group still has plenty of fighters in the
field who went to ground instead of trying to combat a vastly more powerful foe,
and that the group will mount an offensive sometime soon” (2019). It is important
that the United States continues to invest in counterterrorism efforts. Benjamin
also had a sobering thought, “jihadist terrorism is a fact of the contemporary
world, that it can be managed but not eradicated” (2019). Since the attacks on
the World Trade Center on 9/11, we have been taking excellent measures to
This study source was downloaded by 100000849840424 from CourseHero.com on 07-14-2022 19:44:00 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/52688784/Week-8-Discussion-Brave-New-Worlddocx/
