An Examination of President Barack Obamas State of the Union Address on January 25 2011

State of the Union Address
During President Obama’s State of the Union Address on January 25, 2011, he commented on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and nuclear weapons in North Korea, among other things. Obama talked about the changes he has made in homeland security to help protect against terrorist attacks, including improved airline security and quicker action with intelligence. There has been an increase in the number of al Qaeda senior members who have been captured and killed.
In Afghanistan, they are increasing the number of troops and training Afghan security forces so they can “take the lead” this July, and American troops can start to come home. Obama stated that the allies and partners of the United States are meeting in London to discuss their common views on the affairs in Afghanistan. As for Iraq, Obama stated that he was following through with ending the war and that all troops would be pulled by August 2011.

The next topic of Obama’s speech was nuclear weapons. He mentioned the fact that in Washington DC in April, 44 different countries will come together for the Nuclear Security Summit. Their purpose is to secure nuclear materials to ensure that terrorists will not get their hands on them. He said that the “international community” is more united because they can stand together to fight the nations that are going against the agreement set by the group of countries. This also means that North Korea faces “increased isolation and stronger sanctions.”
Finally, Obama mentioned a few ways that the United States is providing leadership all around the world for safety and success of the people. For example, we are encouraging the learning of math and science in Muslim communities, helping out countries that are still developing, and planning ways to ensure the safety and health of people from bioterrorism and infectious diseases. Overall, Obama sounded confident that the United States is working on improving itself and trying to help improve relations with the rest of the world.