America's two most recent wars are the Iraq War and the War on Terror. Both of these wars achieved their goals, but came at a high cost. There were several factors in both of these wars that affected international security. I will first analyze both wars and then weave them together to show the overall effect they created on America. Let us first consider the War on Terror. The War on Terror began after the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda attacked America on September 11, 2001. America responded with a military offensive against terrorist groups in Afghanistan. The primary targets in Afghanistan were Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Many scholars agree with what America did in this situation. In A Grand Strategy for America by Robert J Art, he believed that in the event of a terrorist attack on American soil, America must respond with force and that is exactly what it did. The presence of Al-Qaeda affects the international security of the world. The United States responded by attempting to “choke the lifeblood of terrorist groups, their access to territory, to funds, to equipment, to training, to technology.” The goal of the United States is to weaken terrorist organizations so as to discourage their ability to resort to acts of violence. By attempting to deter acts of terrorism, a safer world can be created. “Terrorism increases the risk and cost of commercial activities, whether diplomatic, manufacturing or sales.” There is a big implication if the world wants to give terrorism free rein. Not only is there a loss of innocent lives, but many of the world's underdeveloped countries are also affected by copious amounts of terrorism. Many underdeveloped nations rely on advanced nations like the U......middle of paper......Attack on Israel." http://judaism.about.com/library/1_security/iraq/bl_iraq.htm (accessed October 24, 2013). Conde Nast Digital. "WikiLeaks Show continues hunt for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq - with surprising results." October 24, 2013.) Kaplan, Dan "US Found Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq." /10/25/us-did-find-iraq-wmd/ (accessed November 23, 2013). “A decade after what was accomplished in Iraq” http://www.npr.org/2013 /03/18 /174647302/a-decade-later-what-was-compiuted-in-iraq (accessed October 24, 2013). Zarembo, Alan. “The Cost of Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan Will Continue to Grow.” latimes.com/2013/mar/29/nation/la-na-0329-war-costs-20130329 (accessed October 24, 2013).