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Following the tragedy of September 11, America has launched a 21st century war to eradicate the threat of international terrorism. Terrorism, long a problem for many nations of the world, was all but foreign to U.S soil. September 11th was the first major attack on mainland American soil since the War of 1812. The barbarity of the crime, the toll on innocent lives, and our lack of preparedness for the threat has scared the country to unity, and has scared the rest of the free world into assisting President Bush in "finding the evildoers," "smoking them out of their caves," and "bringing them to justice." The United States has started in Afghanistan, targeting Osama bin Laden, his al Qaeda network, and the Taliban government that supported and sheltered him. Clearly, this was the appropriate start to the campaign, as bin Laden and his associates were directly responsible for the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. But Afghanistan is not the appropriate place to finish. Terrorism is not a problem of one man, country, or government. It is a threat that stretches over the entire world and it must be dealt with as such. Terrorism will not end with the death of Osama bin Laden, nor the destruction of al Qaeda, nor the downfall of the Taliban. Admittedly, the United States' swift and decisive victory demonstrates our resolve and power to those sympathetic to bin Laden, his cause, and his methods. Perhaps Lebanon, Yemen, Somalia, the Sudan, and Libya will be scared straight and will cease their support for terrorists who wish to attack the U.S., Israel, or any other free nation. Nevertheless, there is one country and there is one man whom no Afghan adventure will ever deter from terrorism. Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein is the most dangerous man in the world. While distanced from Islamic extremists, he has not stopped developing biological, chemical and nuclear weapons.
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