This was an essay I did based off a debate topic on The New York Times; I thought it would be nice to share what I wrote. I decided to challenge myself and choose a topic that I wasn't very familiar with for my essay. This definitely helped me learn how to write out of my comfort zone and open my mind up to other topics. I hope you enjoy this article.

In the past few months’ terrorism has been a debated and hot topic around the world due to the many attacks that have taken place such as Orlando, Florida and Paris, France. Terrorism has influenced many countries to change their safety protocols and on whether they should take in refugees; specifically, from Middle Eastern countries. Some may believe that one day we can stop terrorism, but to others that is not the case. Terrorism cannot be prevented or ended, but its effects can be minimized or reduced. The question that should be asked is: How can we minimize or reduce the effects of terrorism around the world? Terrorism can be minimized through situational awareness, building a new homeland security enterprise, and having more messages that spread the word about terrorism.

A way in which the effects of terrorism can be reduced is that “…owners of gathering places need to have situational awareness and some sense of their surroundings…” according Paul Rosenzweig, a principal at Red Branch Consulting and a former deputy assistant secretary for policy at the Department of Homeland Security. Gathering places such as movie theaters and restaurants need to have more preparation because dangerous situations such as terrorist attacks can happen. They need to prepare by being aware of their environments; which means checking people’s bags, and upgrading security for big social gatherings. This means that citizens also need to be aware of the environment around them and have tactics if danger would occur in a public setting such as a movie theater or a festival. Having situational awareness will allow for the brutal and sad effects of terrorist attacks to be minimized.

Furthermore, another way the effects of terrorism can be reduced is “...to build a new homeland security enterprise to better mitigate and defend against dynamic threats, minimize risks, and maximize the ability to respond and recover from attacks and disasters of all kinds.” according to the United States Department of Homeland Security. Homeland Security is a very significant department within the United States government and without them many more terrorist attacks could happen. In result of the building and upgrading of our Homeland Security it will help minimize the threats of terrorist groups through cyberspace and weapons of mass destruction such as bombs.

Moreover, to reduce the effects of terrorism “...The training tip “Run, Hide, Fight” for dealing with a shooter is not just a slogan anymore, sad as that is.” according to Paul Rosenzweig. The slogan “run, hide, fight” can be interpreted as having to do anything you can to stay alive no matter if it’s getting away from the scene, hiding from the attacker, or fighting the murderer off. This has become a true reality in the 21st century due to the terrorist attacks such as Orlando and Paris where according to media reports, many victims ran or hid from the attacker. With this slogan in mind there needs to be more formal messages presented about terrorism because messages such as this one gives people the wrong idea and or assumption about what to do when an attacker is present. Furthermore, an example of a positive message would be “If you see something suspicious, then leave the area.” However, this isn’t the case in certain scenarios because terrorist attacks can happen at any moment and time.

On June 12th, 2016, 49 people were killed at Pulse, a popular Florida gay bar-this was the worst mass shooting in US history. The attacker was a 29-year old male by the name of Omar Mateen. He entered the club that was full of innocent people armed with “...an AR-15 typed assault, a handgun, and ammunition and opened fire…”. This tragic event is just one out of many that shows at any moment of the day an attacker can come without anyone being aware. Furthermore, before Mateen died from the shootout he had with police he states “My name is I pledge of allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi of the Islamic State.”. This statement made by Mateen helped investigators determine that this was a terrorist attack against American people by the Islamic State.

Orlando wasn’t the only terrorist attack to happen in the past year; there was also an attack in Paris, France. On November 13, 2015, a total of 130 people were killed throughout Paris at multiple locations. According to the New York Times there were a total of 8 locations hit by terrorist: 4 restaurants, 3 stadiums, and 1 concert hall. There were a total of 9 attackers, but only 8 of them could be identified. According to CNN the ringleader of the attacks was Abdelhamid Abaaoud; he was killed during a “…November 18^th raid of an apartment building in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis.”. The attacks were committed by using suicide bombs and “…Kalashnikov-type assault rifles…” according to BBC News. This tragic event is another example of how just doing everyday activities can turn into a moment of terror without anyone knowing. Following the attacks on November 14^th according to CNN “In an online statement distributed by supporters, ISIS claims responsibility for the attacks.”

The question that was presented was: How can we minimize or reduce the effects of terrorism around the world? I believe that terrorism will never come to an end because of the amount of conflicts that happen between countries around the world. Terrorism is also something that can’t be easily reduced, due to the fact that it will take very concise thinking to come up with a plan against a foreign intruder or enemy. Furthermore, the way I believe the effects of terrorism can really be reduced is that we as people need to be aware of our surroundings. Additionally, we need to stop believing everything the news and social media says; we need to research the topic ourselves. These things are useful because they make a well-rounded individual who knows the world and knows the difference between domestic and foreign terrorism.

Terrorism has been a debated and hot topic around the world because of the attacks that have happened in places such as Orlando and Paris. Terrorism has influenced many countries to change their safety protocols and on whether they should take in refugees, specifically from the Middle East. Additionally, many people believe terrorism will one day come to an end, but that is not the case. Terrorism cannot be prevented or ended, but its effects can be minimized or reduced. The way this can happen is that citizens and businesses need to be aware of their surroundings. Furthermore, building a new homeland security enterprise to better mitigate and defend against dynamic threats. There also needs to be more formal messages about terrorism instead of negative ones. Lastly, people around the world need to understand that terrorism can happen anywhere at any time; just look at what happened to the innocent people of Orlando and Paris. Do you think we should just live with terrorism? or should we do something about it?