Terrorism in Yemen and IT's Research Paper

Yemenite terrorism influences U.S. sentiments as regards terrorism, considering that Americans are greatly affected through knowing that the concept should not necessarily be related to particular countries or motives and that the authorities are virtually helpless in their struggle to eliminate it.

According to experts, Yemen is one of the countries that stand as a safe place for terrorists world-wide. However, experts have failed to observe that a terrorist does not necessarily need to receive training in the Arab Peninsula in order for him or her to represent a real threat to the U.S. One of the best examples regarding this is the fact that most of the terrorists involved in the 9/11 attacks were instructed in Europe and in the U.S. (Katulis, 2010).

Even with the fact that Yemen was not one of the central points in the Arab Peninsula considered to have connections to Al Qaeda, matters gradually changed and it appears that the country is presently similar to Afghanistan and Iraq when concerning each state's potential to generate terrorist threats. Yemen-based terrorists have previously shown interest in attacking Western countries. One of the most important Al Qaeda members who were considered to have been in charge of the attack on the U.S.S. Cole was murdered by U.S. forces in 2002 in Yemen. This proves that terrorism is strong in Yemen, as the individuals in the territory are no amateurs (Katulis, 2010).

With the attention of the U.S. being directed at Iraq for most of the decade, it is only natural for terrorists who were previously located in the country to relocate into territories that seem less important for the U.S. What Americans need to understand is that Yemenite terrorism should not be ignored.

Yemen has increasingly grown in strength in the recent years, to the point where more and more threats are generated by the terrorist groups in the country. Most probably, the U.S. is going to be forced to turn its attention towards Yemen if it does not do so before matters become worse.

October 30, 2010, was the day when U.S. authorities confirmed that two packages that were meant to travel from Yemen to the U.S. contained explosives. Anwar al-Awlaki, an Yemenite-based individual known for his connections to Al Qaeda and whose parents were born in Yemen is believed to be connected to the terrorist movement in Yemen (Randall and Johnson, 2010).

Terrorist experts are apparently inclined to believe that al-Awlaki's importance is even greater than that of Bin Laden himself, most probably because of the former's ideologies and because the persuading character he employs in his teachings has a significant influence on his followers. Al-Awlaki is even more important because of his status as an U.S. citizen, proving that terrorists who were born on American territory are no different from those born in the Arab Peninsula, with al Awlaki's convictions being significant because of his background in living in accordance to Western concepts (Randall and Johnson, 2010).

All things considered, terrorist affairs in Yemen have a great effect on life in the U.S., given that Americans were presented with the thought that terrorism is far from being weakened and that terrorists come from a variety of backgrounds and authorities are no longer capable to effectively prevent terrorist attacks.

Bibliography:

Katulis, Brian. "Terrorism in Yemen Rediscovered." January 6, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2010, from the Center for American Progress Website: http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/01/yemen_rediscovered.html

Randall, D. Johnson, A. "Yemen, the new crucible of global terrorism." October 31, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2010, from the Independent Website: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/yemen-the-new-crucible-of-global-terrorism-2121364.html

Spencer, R. "Flight 253: Shows Utter Failure of U.S. Counterterrorism Efforts." Human Events 4 Jan. 2010: 12.

Thackrah, J.R. (2004). Dictionary of Terrorism. 2nd ed. London: Routledge.