President Obama Addresses Growing ISIL Threat

On the day before the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, President Obama addressed the nation on Wednesday in response to the growing terrorist threat of the group known as The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL. The terrorist group has grown to have considerable influence on the hostile Middle East region, as they have gained territory on both sides of the Iraq-Syrian border, and have capitalized on the ongoing Syrian Civil War to gain power in the region. The President announced his plans to counter ISIL’s growing threat to the region and to the United States. These plans include concentrated airstrikes, working with counter terrorism experts, and rallying other nations to join our cause to protect the innocent civilians that have been impacted by ISIL. As the United State’s combat mission in Afghanistan draws to a close, The President made clear that the fight against ISIL will not involve American combat troops. He firmly stated that “As commander in chief, my highest priority is the safety of the American people”, and declared he will unite with Congress to prevent more innocent casualties in the recent wake of murders of Americans journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff.

The President, as he has done on many occasions before, showed his prowess with addressing the American people and showcased his strong delivery and his determined demeanor. At the beginning of his speech, he noted the past successes that he has had in the fight against terrorism during his presidency. These include the killing of Osama bin Laden, the targeting of Al Qaeda affiliates in Yemen and Somalia, and how his administration has “taken the fight towards terrorists”. By establishing his credibility in his speech, President Obama attempts ease the doubts some may have of his plans against ISIL. His message was clear; “ISIL is a terrorist organization, plan and simple…. the United States of America is meeting them with strength and resolve”. One resolute statement that Obama delivered with a adamant tone was this; “If you threaten America, you will find no safe haven”. The speech’s overall effectiveness was embedded in Obama’s repetition of American values, such as freedom, justice, and dignity. He states that, “This is American leadership at it’s best. We stand with people to fight for their own freedom, and we rally other nations on behalf of our common security, and common humanity”. In a time when most Americans are uncertain about whether they can trust Washington, President Obama wisely chooses to invoke an emotional response in his audience by highlighting the values America fights for.

People across the nation watched President Obama’s speech from different mediums that include computers, televisions, and online websites such as YouTube and whitehouse.gov. The different ways we were able to watch the President’s speech prove that the first truth of media is correct, and that the media are an essential components of our lives. As we have seen before in the 21st century, terrorism is taken very seriously by the United States. The Middle East continues to be a region that breeds the most brutal terrorist groups, which reinforces the claim of the fourth truth of the media; that is everything that has happened will happen again. These two truths of media were featured most prominently in President Obama’s speech. Only time will tell whether the President makes good on his promise to bring ISIL to justice.