Less than a month after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the U.S. military began a war in Afghanistan. Afghanistan had provided a safe place for the terrorists to plan and organize their attack on the United States. Because nearly 3,000 people died as a result of the terrorist attacks, most people in the U.S. supported this war. They believed that military action was the only way to make sure that the terrorists could not plan more attacks against the U.S. By the time the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021, over 2,400 U.S. troops had died trying to make Afghanistan a stable country where terrorists can never plan another attack on the U.S.

In 2003, the United States also went to war in Iraq. Members of the U.S. government claimed that the Iraqi regime had weapons of mass destruction that could be used against Americans. Many people in the U.S. were not convinced that these weapons existed and did not support this war. Some people believed that the war in Iraq was more about protecting an oil supply to support the American economy. In the end, the weapons of mass destruction were never found and over 4,400 members of the U.S. military died in this conflict.

In 2026, U.S. military forces entered Venezuela and captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. He was brought back to the U.S. to be tried on drug-trafficking charges. These actions caused a sharp divide among Americans. Some claimed that Maduro had spread illegal drugs to the U.S. and that it was right for the government to act. Others claimed the U.S. military should not have entered a country that had not attacked the U.S. 

Some people believe that the U.S. government should only send troops into another country when there is a clear threat to Americans’ safety. They think that Americans should only be asked to sacrifice their lives if  there is a known threat. They may also point to the high expense of going to war, saying that only protecting Americans from a clear threat justifies such a high cost. According to some estimates, the cost of the Iraq War to the U.S. government was $1 trillion. Many Americans think that this money should have been used for domestic issues, like improving American schools.

Other people think that the U.S. should consider military action when the safety of people from other countries is threatened by violent government actions. For example, during much of the time that Americans were fighting in Iraq, people in the Darfur region of Sudan were being murdered and forced to leave their villages by their government. Approximately 2.7 million people were displaced by these actions, resulting in nearly 300,000 deaths from disease and starvation. Many Americans thought that U.S. military action in Sudan could have diminished the suffering of the Sudanese people. They claim that there was no U.S. military action because this African country offered little benefit to America’s economy. 

What do you think? Should the U.S. government only send troops to another region when our safety is threatened? Should we send troops when our economy is threatened? Or should we engage in military action when the safety of others is threatened?