George W. Bush seemed to salivate slightly after September 11, knowing that the massive military arsenal of the United States might finally be put to good use. First the government targeted Afghanistan, an easy and convenient target, despite being completely unable to find Osama Bin Laden. With all the high-tech surveillance gadgets and techniques used by the American military, the Al Qaeda terrorist network was barely scraped. As the world would soon see, Afghanistan was only the beginning. The United States government launched a major war against Iraq, a country which the U.S. accused of being connected with the September 11 attacks without providing any concrete evidence. It became clear at the outset of the war on Iraq that the United States government was dedicated to the "descending spiral" of violence that Martin Luther King, Jr. speaks of.

A entirely agree with King's statement about violence multiplying violence. It is clear that the more the United States seeks to dominate and terrorize other nations by its arsenal of weapons of mass destruction, the more violent and unstable a place the world becomes. By attempting hegemony, the United States in fact isolates itself from the global community. The violence now being perpetrated on Iraq will inevitably backfire. Terrorist groups will launch systematic campaigns to fight back in the only way they can: with suicide bombers and other low-tech attacks. Israel will be a likely target, especially if the United States continues to threaten other Middle Eastern nations like Syria and Iran. As George W. Bush grows more and more smug in front of the television cameras, it seems highly likely that the violence won't end in the Middle East. If the repercussions of America's actions aren't felt this year, surely they will be felt some years down the road. Groups of people, terrorist organizations, state governments, and coalitions of governments will find it necessary to retaliate against perceived transgressions, and the cycle of violence continues.