Last Friday, September 14th, only three days after the Eleventh anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, an eighteen year old Adel Daoud drove a green Jeep Cherokee in front of a Chicago bar. In the car was a device that he believed to be a bomb as he walked away into an alley. However, the bomb was inert and had been planted by FBI agents (More details about this attempted terrorist attack click here). This Daoud plot marked the fifty-second terrorist attack since the unforgettable events on September 11th, 2001. Since these attacks, there have been many security provisions that have restricted everything from sharp objects to no more than three ounces of liquids on planes. These newer and stricter rules have provided travelers and highly populated cities with more security and have captured many terrorist. However, the United States has paid big money for foiling many of these terrorist plots. The United States has spent more than $7.6 trillion on defense and homeland security since September 11th, 2001 and a total of $635.9 billion on total homeland security spending. The money spent on homeland security has proven to be worth it to this day, with no major terrorist attack since 9/11. However, can all of this money spent on security and against terrorism stop every terrorist plot and attack in the future?
I think the prevention of another terrorist attack is not just determined by how much money is being spent, but how it's being spent. Like we talked about in class, one of our faults in regards to 9/11 was the lack of communication. There were so many different government departments that focused on intelligence and they weren't sharing information efficiently. Had these groups corroborated more, the pieces could've been put together and the attack might have been stopped earlier. So if all this money is spent on improving how the functioning of intelligence departments it will definitely help prevent another attack, but if the money is used incorrectly it probably won't make a difference.
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