al-Qaeda
The United States has endeavored to relinquish the efforts of the terrorist organization know as al-Qaeda from obtaining nuclear weaponry and other weapons of mass destruction. Al-Qaeda is the terrorist group responsible for the September 11th attack on the World Trade Center and other assaults on the U.S. and her allies. In 1998, former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden issued a religious ruling known as "fatwa," declaring war on the United States. The terrorist group manipulates religious justification for the use of nuclear weapons and their acts of terror. Nuclear terrorism is a catastrophe that is not easy to prevent, but it can be stopped with proper conduct. Former Director of Intelligence and Counterintelligence at the U.S. Department of Energy, Rolf Mowatt-Larssen, states "Although we are unlikely to convince terrorists that it would be a disaster if they used WMD, I cannot fathom how they can hope to advance their cause by using weapons that indiscriminately kill millions of men, women, and children of all faith."
The Iraq War
Throughout 2002 and into 2003, the United States uncovered the possibility of Saddam Hussein acquiring weapons of nuclear capacity. President George W. Bush cited this possibility which posed a direct threat to the United States. This was the main rationale used to justify an invasion of Iraq. It was also said that Hussein had ties to Osama bin Laden and his terrorist regime, al-Qaeda, which had previously declared a holy war upon the U.S. America invaded Iraq in March of 2003, and overthrew the ruthless tyrannical government of Saddam Hussein. The end to this conflict is not clear, as it has disrupted the outlook of the region forever. The Iraq War has had a major unsettling effect on the Middle East, and Iraq's neighboring country, Iran, has continued its quest at enriching weapon grade uranium as a consequence.
North Korea
In October of 2006, North Korea, officially known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, discharged its first atomic device. Their government withdrew from Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2003, which limited North Korean nuclear ambitions, due to the failure of the U.S. government in assisting North Korea to build nuclear reactors for energy needs. In 2009, North Korea tested yet another atomic weapon. This time, however, its capacity met that of the "little boy" atom bomb that had ravaged Hiroshima in WWII. Some government officials speculate that North Korea's nuclear efforts have marked the start of a trend in the region, and that it could possibly end up in an arms race. One fear is that their motivation might catch on in countries like Iran, which when equipped with atomic weaponry would be extremely dangerous.
Overview
In President Barack Obama's address at West Point, December 1, 2009, he stated "Our overarching goal remains the same: to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al-Q'ida in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and to prevent its capacity to threaten America and our allies in the future." Weapons of mass destruction in the wrong hands, particularly nuclear, can have serious repercussions. The development of atomic bomb, the product of the manhattan project, can be viewed as both a blessing and a curse. In America's case, the are used for the safety of her people, and the mere presence they possess does just that. On the other hand, the discovery has kept the United States has intertwined with foreign affairs for nearly a century now, as seen throughout the Cold War and modern day conflicts. In President George W. Bush's speech on Nuclear Strategy, he openly stated "Unlike the Cold War, today’s most urgent threat stems not from thousands of ballistic missiles in the Soviet hands, but from a small number of missiles in the hands of these states, states for whom terror and blackmail are a way of life. They seek weapons of mass destruction to intimidate their neighbors, and to keep the United States and other responsible nations from helping allies and friends in strategic parts of the world." The balance of power in this world shifts to those who have obtained this kind of weaponry, and that is why the United States has strived zealously to keep them from falling into the wrong hands since their discovery as a result of the Manhattan Project in WWII.