ABSTRACT
The Middle Eastern countries in the first decade of the twenty-first century had various political systems, economies, and social conditions. Its leaders responded differently to terrorists and the consequences of violence, resistance, self-sacrifice, and terrorism, as did outside governments. Few Americans asked whether their government's Middle East policies helped or hindered democracy, economic development, or human rights. Instead, people parroted such misleading explanations as those Muslims hate our freedoms. Americans traditionally know little about foreign policy or conditions abroad. The attacker on that September morning was Al-Qaida a coordinating body for Muslim resistance movements operating in many countries and headed by an exiled Saudi businessman named Osama bin Laden. In common parlance, terrorism is carried out by individuals or by secret societies in opposition to an established government, whether elected or dictatorial. One stumbling block was Turkey's human rights record, which fell below Europe's standards.
