In the years following World War II a phrase was coined, "The New World Order." This over used and much abused phrase described the transition from a world full of competing systems of government to one in which people were communist or democratic. In a post 9/11 world we can again see the emergence of a new world order. Once again America is faced with a series of new threats to its people, beliefs, and constitution. With the War on Terror, Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Aghan War what direction will US foreign policy take from here? President Bush has assembled a magnificent team in which to fight terrorism, one built before terror was even an issue in American politics. Donald Rumsfield, Colin Powell, Dick Cheney, all experienced politicians, well versed in the art of foreign policy. But what does the future hold? What further influence can America bear on the world? The answer is: a considerable amount.

Much of the world has criticized America's recent stirrings. They claim that America is creating strife in the world, starting wars, killing civilians and a whole range of ill informed but highly inflammatory claims. The truth is America has become a force for good in this world, at this time. First lets look at the Afghan war; after 9/11 any president, regardless of a political affiliation would have carried out this war. But that doesn't mean its a political war, just a tool of the politicians, thousands of poor, innocent Afghans were oppressed for decades by a totalitarian government run by extreme religious fanatics. As this government collapsed a vacuum was created and subsequently the official Afghan government controls only its capital city, but even now American soldiers are doing what they can, under the guidance of the Bush administration, to make things better where ever and when ever. Afghanistan will not recover from its woes any time soon. Remember the country has been devastated by decades of war, famine, strife, and political mismanagement. Two years of relative peace is a step in the right direction but it will take many more hard years to rebuild this primitive country. We must stand firm by our newly created friend and build him stronger then he was before.

Recently the Bush Administration embarked on an even more politically risky task: to free Iraq. How can some people claim that they would prefer madmen like Saddam remain in control rather then see a hyperpower flex its muscles. What is the use of being the world's only major power if it has no bearing on the world? Saddam oppressed a population that should have been the cultural and monetary center of the Islamic world. America declared war on Saddam under the pretext of finding nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. The question of whether Saddam had such weapons is ridiculous, of course we knew he had them. During the Iraq-Iran war Saddam regularly used chemical weapons on the Iranian soldiers. Later he gassed a village of Kurds in the north of Iraq. Can there be any question about this mans sanity? Even if the war was fought for the wrong reasons the evidence of Saddam Hussein's misdeeds after America's liberation of Iraq would be enough to justify the invasion.

The future holds a world of changes that America can make on this world. Obviously the current administration will put political and economic pressure on Syria and Iran. Perhaps we can see a liberation of Lebanon which has been under Syrian occupation for decades, but not until after the next election. In the coming months we will see a steady build up for this next phase in the War on Terror. Who will be next? Iraq is on its way to becoming a westernized, civilized nation. Afghanistan has begun on the road of healing. The Islamic world is on the verge of a political reconstruction. We will see the flourishing of new Democracies, the strength and power of the peoples convictions. It will be a new day in the history of our world.