Obama Nationally Addresses the ISIL Conflict

President Obama recently spoke in a National Address on September 10th regarding the terrorist group ISIL. Obama announced that the United States of America will be using all of their counterterrorism initiatives to help end the ISIL's reign of terror in the Iraq, Syria, and the larger global community. The President established the four initiatives of the United States of America in the fight against the terrorist group. The first initiative of the USA is the use of air-strikes against ISIL territory. The second initiative is the increase of support for ground forces battling the Islam extremist group. The third initiative is the utilization of American counterterrorism planning in order to prevent further attacks by ISIL. And lastly, the USA will increase humanitarian support of for the innocent Iraqi and Syrian citizens. 

Obama's speech delivery was so effective because of his ability to balance his indefinite power while still remaining palpable to viewers. Viewers positively receive Obama because of his body language, which is the driving force for his undeniable sense of confidence.  More specifically, the President uses his hands to create a sense of sureness. When reassuring American citizens of the White House's sole desire to maintain security throughout the world, he uses swift and brisk hand gestures to show his commitment to ending ISIL. After notifying Americans of the decision to enter ISIL territory, he establishes that his "highest priority is the security of the American people" with a quick motion of his fist onto the podium. Similar to that of a judge and a javelin, Obama is notifying American that the final jury had been made and he only has the utmost of confidence. As any great leader and public speaker, the President delivers his message with a manner of confidence that reassures and comforts the American people of the decision to fight against ISIL. 

Obama appears to be quite knowledgable of his Media Truths, making sure the avoid Truth Three, or the medias natural inclination to focus on the more extreme aspects of life (including minority groups, violence, and other values). The National Address not only outlined the US initiatives against ISIL, but also contained an underlying social message to Americans: the religious affiliations of ISIL Muslim extremists do not represent the entire Islamic group. Obama reminds American people that "ISIL is not Islamic" and that "no religion condones the killing of innocents". Obama recognizes the inability of people to recognize that a single story of extremist Islamic people doesn't represent the Islamic community as a whole. Obama is not only discussing the problem of ISIL, but he is also confronting the problem of American people's tendency to compartmentalize underrepresented groups in America, which makes for another productive and progressive Presidential Address. 

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.  

President Obama's Plan for ISIL

On Wednesday, September 10th, 2014, President Obama addressed the nation about the Iraqi terrorist group, ISIL, also known as ISIS. His speech started off warmly reassuring the American public of our safety, recent achievements in the Middle East and progress in starting to end the war. He went on to give the public some background information of ISIL, noting that it is indeed "a terrorist organization, plain and simple", that is not supported by a government or people nor does it coincide with the values of Islam. The president then delivered his main message with determination and vigilance: the U.S. "will degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL."

Obama revealed his four part plan to the American people that he believes will ultimately lead to the destruction of ISIL. This plan involves airstrikes, support for combat positions fighting ISIL, working to prevent possible attacks in the future by ISIL, and providing assistance to civilians that have been displaced by the terrorist group. The president's straight forward delivery of this plan clearly shows the U.S. his intentions to fully eradicate ISIL. His upright posture and unwavering vision towards the camera emphasized his belief that this four part plan would be successful. 

From the moment our president appeared on the on the screen, he appeared confident. He walked up to the stand to deliver his address in a manner that could have been mistaken for bored or tired, but really only better emphasized how much he wanted to be rid of terrorism in this world. Clearly sick of war, ISIL, and having no patience for further endangerment of America, Obama spoke eloquently and triumphantly. It was evident that the president had a great mission ahead of him. He very early on set the tone of how he wanted to be perceived by anyone who watched his address last night. This manner of speech conveyed President Obama's message in the most effective way: he is ready to put his plan in action. 

The media truth that stands out the most with this national address is #4, the truth that nothing is new and that everything will reoccur. Obviously, throughout the years of humanity, times of war and peace will always be prevalent. Allied relationships will be built up only to be destroyed and the worst of enemies may turn into allies with the help of conferences and agreements on the parts of both nations. Terrorism is an unfortunately reoccurring issue in the spectrum of war. Groups of people have their beliefs and they may go to great lengths to get others to support them or take them over. And the way these groups go about their campaign to promote their ideologies won't be accepted by targeted nations and that is one of the ways war develops. History is doomed to always repeat itself in part because of the rise and fall or these terrorist groups. Though situations may not always be completely the same, everything now is only a reoccurrence of what has happened in the past many years of humanity. Media will continue to report what has occurred to a nation that will realize it has only happened before.

On Wednesday, September 10th, 2014 President Obama Delivered a speech focusing on the safety of the United States in regards to the terrorist group ISIL, also known as ISIS. President Obama discussed the four step process to “ultimately destroy the terrorist group known as ISIL” consisting of,  airstrikes against these terrorists which includes working with the Iraqi government, help the forces that are fighting on the ground against these terrorists, working with our countries partners to strengthen our efforts to demolish ISIL and provide humanitarian assistance so innocent people can continue living in their homeland. Due to these great efforts, joined with our allies and intelligence billions of dollars will help and serve for humanitarian aid. President Obama showed great strength as our countries leader and produced a plan for ISIL to be destroyed. 

Presidents Obama’s speech has prove that the United States will not stand down to this terrorist group. Due to the fact, the speech was on the eve of 9/11, it was important that his address was strong and united so another tragedy as awful does not occur. President Obama walked to his podium gracefully but began his message quite promptly. Throughout the speech, President Obama spoke with much determination in his voice despite the fearful threats that we’re being faced with. The Presidents relax body language and stern hand gestures showed him connecting with his people while seeming personable which is why his message was effective. President Obama talking about the past efforts, Osama bin Laden and much of al Qaeda’s leadership in Afghanistan and Pakistan being dismissed in order to keep out safety, makes it seem like an easier process. Towards the end of the speech President Obama provided positive information about how strong our country is to remind us we are united. President Obama’s way of delivering this speech was respectful, determined and provided information to understand our efforts of destroying ISIL. 

The media truth that stood out the most was Media Truth number 1, the media are essential components of our lives. If it was not for the media none of this would be known therefore no help would be giving. Media is the reason that something can be done, and sharing this story with the audience not only helps our country but has the opportunity for other countries to stand by our side and help with the efforts to destroy ISIL. 

President Obama's Counter-Terrorism Strategy

     President Barrack Obama addressed America’s concern of the jihadist group, known as the Islamic State, that is currently operating in Syria and Iraq. Mainly, he announced various components of his counter-terrorism strategy. This plan includes more U.S. air strikes in Iraq, aid from other countries, and sending an additional 475 U.S. military troops to help Iraq’s military. The president also emphasized having more troops on local grounds to take action against the Islamic State, also known as ISIL or ISIS. Later on in his speech, Obama expressed his opinion on ISIL affiliation with the Islamic Religion. He believes that ISIL is a terrorist group, and, therefore, is not Islamic because no religion would support the cruel murdering of innocents. ISIL has American blood on their hands after beheading two American journalists, Jim Foley and Steven Sotloff. 

     The message was delivered with commitment and determination. Obama ensured America of his ambition when he stated, “I will not hesitate to take action against ISIL in Syria, as well as Iraq.” He delivered the message in such a way that gave viewers, tuning in at home, a sense of relief that the President was finally taking care of the issue at hand. He was confident in saying, “This is American leadership at its best: We stand with people who fight for their own freedom, and we rally other nations on behalf of our common security and common humanity.”

     The most effective part of the message was that in the beginning when ISIL killed the first journalist about a month ago, the President didn’t take much action to ensure the safety of our country or bring the second journalist back home. He waited until the second journalist was also murdered to take action and protect the country. Another portion of the speech that was interesting was when he stated, “I have the authority to address the threat from ISIL. But I believe we are strongest as a nation when the president and Congress work together. So I welcome congressional support for this effort in order to show the world that Americans are united in confronting this danger.” This statement rose the question of will congress unite? In stating that he has the authority to take action with or without the approval of congress leaves an unsettling feeling in the minds of the people. This is contradictory because when outlining his plan, Obama seems to be confident that his plan will be victorious in the defeat of ISIL. However, if congress is not supporting his strategy, it makes others question how effective it really is. 

     While watching the national address several media truths stood out. For example, everything that happened in the past will happen again. Obama referenced the procedures taken in Yemen and Somalia and announced that the military strategy will resemble these previous efforts. However, the repetition of this plan seems to be a concern to most people because the U.S. airstrikes in those regions have not reached a reasonable conclusion. Therefore, will repeating a previous plan lead to the similar result? Another media truth is that media are essential components of our lives. Viewers tuning in to listen to President Obama’s new counter-terrorism plan used different sources of media such as television, computers, and newspapers. Without being immersed in media, society would have a difficult time staying updated with national news. The medium is the message. Therefore, not only is the information important, the media one uses to express what to say is also significant. 

Obama's Solution to Terrorist Attack -Niree Turner

On Wednesday night, President Obama gave a speech explaining his process to stop the terrorist threat by Isil. His plan is to attack using air strikes and not send US soldiers on foot. he explains how our allies will help us by sending their troops on foot. In return we will help them build their governments.

The President delivered his speech with great confidence and determination. He is confident that this plan will work so he request congress support. Obama also shows determination as a leader of the US. He says that "America has the obligation to lead and we stand for freedom and dignity and we must protect the innocent". This shows that he is determined to stop this threat and show that both himself and America can be outstanding leaders.

The most effective part of the President's speech was when he explained the step by step process to handling the threat. He realizes that not everyone will understand what is happening or about to happen so he breaks down each part of the plan and explains it in plain English for everyone to understand. The step by step plan shows that he have given much thought to the problem and came up with an effective solution.

The media truth that stands out the most is number four. Truth four states that nothing is new and everything that happened in the past will happen again. In his speech, Obama mentions 9-11 and other historical terrorist attacks. He references these events to show that he have learned from these events and have a solid solution to ensure they will not happen again. President Obama has a strong will to protect innocent people and have a solid plan to keep everyone safe.

President Obama's speech - 9/10/2014

    Just hours before the thirteenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that rocked the United States, President Barrack Obama addressed the nation on the most recent terror issue - ISIS. The President revealed the U.S.'s plan to stop the terrorist organization, currently operating in Syria and Iraq. 

    Obama announced that the United States would send 450 troops overseas to weaken the militant group, but assured that "there will be no ground troops, and we will not be forced into a ground-war against ISIL." Furthermore, he announced that the U.S. would lead an international coalition to defeat ISIS, and that "attacks would only be made via air power." Obama added "we are not in this fight alone", emphasizing that other nations as well as the newly-created Iraqi government would help out in this fight, 

    Throughout the address to the nation, the President remained calm, collected, and composed - yet he retained a serious and passionate tone. Obama had some harsh words for ISIS, when he said that there will be "no safe haven" for terrorists anywhere, and that the United States would find them and rid of them. The President added that while the country is unaware of any specifically-planned terrorist plot from ISIS, they have threatened the country and the United States, in turn, is on high alert. 

   The most effective part of this speech was his threat to ISIS. Because of the serious tone and expression, and the harshness of the words "we will find you, we will rid of you - there is no safe haven" combined to be effective. 

   One of the media truths revealed in this speech was that "nothing is new - everything that has happened in the past will happen again." Although ISIS is not the same terrorist group from the past (al-Qaeda), we are faced with a very similar situation. A group, killing Americans (i.e. beheading of U.S. journalists), and trying to take control of the Middle East - another conflict America feels they have a role in to stop the situation.