The US State Department issues travel alerts for American travelers. These travel alerts are about conditions in other countries that may pose some risks to US citizens. These events could include violence or demonstrations related to elections in those countries, terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and high-profile events, including sporting events such as the World Cup.

Recently, on September 9, 2010, the Department of State issued a travel alert concerning the potential impacts of an event that was planned in America and which was getting huge amounts of news coverage worldwide. This event was the planned Qur’an burning by a small church in Gainesville, Florida on the anniversary of September 11, 2010. Because of the widely publicized nature of this event, the State Department issued an alert to travelers outside the United States. Demonstrations in response to the planned burning, even though the pastor of the small congregation in Florida who announced these plans, have been carried out already in Afghanistan and in Indonesia, and the threat of demonstrations continues.

The Department of State’s website suggests that the demonstrations that were carried out already were in response to the media reports of the plans. The attention from the media as well as from top-ranking officials in the United States government, including President Barack Obama and General David Patraeus, the commander of the US forces in Afghanistan, garnered reactions from the Muslim world, especially in the Middle East and in Indonesia. Despite, as previously mentioned, the fact that the burnings were not actually carried out on September 11, the threat posed by demonstrations against the burning and from terrorist groups, who use such things to fuel anti-Americanism, remains high.

Security threats to American travels abroad are shared through the State Department’s website and through a toll free number. These alerts are also publicized via news outlets. If you are planning to travel overseas, the State Department recommends registration in consulates and embassies or online so that you can be contacted about alerts that may apply to you. Safe travels!