October 7, 2001

President Bush announced that the United States would be going to war in Afghanistan against the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban regime and al-Qaeda after the September 11^th attacks. Depending on one’s outlook on the “War on Terror,” this could have been a good or a bad thing. However, one positive thing that came out of it was the multinational effort to aid the United States in the war with troops and intelligence. It was the first time that so many countries had worked toward the same goal to crush another military group. Over 40 countries had pledged themselves to help the U.S. to find information regarding the Taliban and al-Qaeda that would aid the troops. This had a large impact on this country and the world because it was the call for the beginning of the deployment of troops, but it also displayed how countries came together during times of need. Places like France, Britain, Canada, Australia, and Germany pledged to give troops to aid the United States. Bush also foreshadowed that this would only be the beginning of the “War on Terror” and that any other country that tried to aid the Taliban would also become a target for war from the U.S. I appreciate this event mostly because of the multinational efforts made and that at this point, the war did seem very necessary. After an attack like 9/11, something needed to be done to prevent further attacks on the country. At the time this decision was made, it seemed like a very appropriate response to the situation at hand. This event on October 7th significantly changed the lives of many Americans, as many have lost loved ones since then, but it has also improved our cooperation with other countries to fight against terrorism.