Turmoil In Middle East Shows No Sign Of De-escalation

Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on its landmarks, the United States launched the Global War on Terror (GWOT). Many of the terrorists were believed to have been indoctrinated and trained in Afghanistan. In October 2001, president George W. Bush ordered military operations in Afghanistan with the objective "to disrupt the use of Afghanistan as a terrorist base of operations and to attack the military capability of the Taliban regime.” On January 29, 2002 in a State of the Union Address, President described Iran, Iraq and North Korea as an “axis of evil,” and said “the US will do what is necessary to protect itself and its allies.”