President Obama's Speech on ISIS

On Wednesday night, President Obama delivered a speech on his four-part strategy in order to “degrade and destroy” ISIS. He starts off by talking about what America has already done to fight the terrorists who threaten our country, but there are still threats. He then talks about ISIS and who/what they are: a terrorist organization. President Obama outlines his four-part strategy: airstrikes in Iraq (and Syria), increased support to forces fighting on the ground, draw on substantial counterterrorism capabilities to prevent ISIS attacks, and provide humanitarian assistance to innocent civilians. Along with this, President Obama also says that there will be a “broad coalition” of partners: allies from all over the world will help America take down ISIS. He also warns that this military action against ISIS will take time and will have risks, but he assures Americans that it will be different from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

During his speech, President Obama stood his ground; he was determined, resolute and sure that this was the best strategy for America. The words and phrasing and body language he used, especially when he said “if you threaten America, you will find no safe haven,” all contribute to this. He also knew that many Americans would be concerned so he constantly reassured the public that this would be different, that this would work.

For me, the most effective part of his speech was when President Obama started talking about why America is so exceptional and why we are in the best position to “seize the future” and “mobilize the world against terrorists.” He recounted the many things that America is doing right, from rallying the world against Russian aggression to helping contain and cure Ebola. It helps rally the pubic around our country; it makes us feel good about ourselves; it makes us feel like we are the best people for this job to eradicate terrorism.  

The most prevalent media truth would be Truth One: the media are essential components of our lives. Without a doubt, hundreds of thousands of people watched President Obama deliver his speech on Wednesday night, not only Americans, but also people from all over the world. People probably watched it on television, or heard it on the radio, or maybe they are reading about it right now. Because this subject is so important to a lot of people around the world, they will use any sort of media to find out what America’s strategy will be against ISIS.