on the United States’ invasion of Iraq in 2003. Yet former President George W. Bush

claimed that terrorist groups around the world (quote) “hate us for our freedom”. So

we want to know does the U.S. create terrorists?

Well, when comparing the ten year periods before and after the 2003 invasion of Iraq,

the Global Terrorism Database reports that roughly 21,000 terrorist incidents occurred

between 1993-2003. In the years following the invasion, that number more than doubled.

So, why are the numbers increasing? Some conservative sources have blamed a weak foreign policy

and political infighting for this massive increase. However one political scientist

has attributed 95% of suicide attacks in recent years to foreign occupation. And a 2004 government

study concluded that the invasion has quote “paradoxically elevated the stature of and

support for radical Islamists.”

A former CIA interrogator wrote that the number one recruitment tool used by terrorist groups,

was knowledge of US torture at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. A government report supports

the accusation that torture policies damaged the accuracy of any intelligence collected,

and “strengthened the hand of our enemies“. Additionally, there is evidence that drone

strikes have also lead to an increase in anti-American radicalism.

As it turns out, this isn’t a new phenomenon. Back in the 1950’s, the CIA coined the term

“blowback” to describe the unintended negative side effects of overthrowing a middle

eastern regime. Today, numerous studies and comments from several politicians have supported

the idea that the US-led intervention in the Middle East is the primary motivation for

anti-American terrorism.

You probably know that the US is an incredibly powerful country... but what about its weaknesses?

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