The war on terrorism is not over. In fact, it's coming home.
In 2013, President Barack Obama suggested it was time to end America's forever wars in favor of targeted attacks against terrorists. Ten years later, President Biden did more than simply echo this sentiment. he said The United States is no longer at war “anywhere in the world.” Some talk about the war on terror as a historic effort (which may suggest something like this) Lessons for Israel (to pay attention to Gaza) or simply to state that terrorism still exists.”surprisingly quiet”
But these assessments fail to recognize that the war on terror remains alive and well, and that the greatest threat we face may soon come from within.
The center of gravity of terrorism is almost always far away, as terrorists like Yahya Sinwar, Osama bin Laden, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi fought and died on the other side of the world. has been considered. But the most fertile ground for extremism and fanaticism is changing.
Israel's war in Gaza is radicalizing a generation of young, intelligent Westerners. In recognition of this, FBI Director christopher ray said March 2024: “Our most pressing concern is that individuals or small groups will take perverse inspiration from events in the Middle East and carry out attacks here at home.'' Similarly, Biden's Nation Intelligence Secretary Avril Haines recently commented on the situation in Gaza:will influence generations About terrorism. ”
But intelligence officials are not the only ones sounding the alarm. The extremists here are also more vocal than ever about their intentions. And unlike many of their predecessors, this new generation of extremists makes virtually no attempt to hide their intentions or hatred for the West.
Historically, when the most brutal terrorists and terrorist organizations talk about killing us, they have done it from across the ocean. Even domestic terrorists boston bombers, pulse nightclub shooter,or Pensacola Naval Base Attacker They either kept their radical worldviews to themselves or quietly shared them within existing echo chambers. But now extremists are using megaphones in front of our homes, schools, and businesses to tell us what they want and what they are going to do.
In Dearborn, Michigan, for example, pro-Palestinian activists said in April that Muslims should do this.Return to true Islam … [the] Islam taught resistance forces to prepare all forces and all weapons to confront and thwart the enemies of Allah. ” in Vancouver, British Columbia. protesters said“We are Hezbollah,” “We are Hamas.” Outside the White House in Washington DC Protesters in June called for this. 'Jihad' and the killing of Zionists, and Palestinian protesters in Montreal last March gave a Nazi salute and demanded the death of the Jews.
The fiery speeches you once heard in Jalalabad and Karachi can now be heard live from your backyard.
National security issues such as the “new cold war” with China, the war in Ukraine, and the destruction of overseas terrorist networks must remain a priority, but Western countries must recognize that they are becoming a mecca for terrorism It is.
Perhaps we should teach our children that Israel is a colony, that Hamas and Hezbollah are fighting for liberation, that Zionism is racist, and that our government is complicit in genocide. If we stop teaching our young people, we won't face this kind of domestic terrorism.
If we perpetuate these dangerous lies and continue to treat extremism and terrorism as exclusively transnational, we will have to brace ourselves for what is to come.
Dr. Casey Babb is a Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute Center for North American Prosperity and Security, a Fellow at the Tel Aviv National Security Institute, and an Associate Fellow and Advisor at the Royal United Services Institute in London. In collaboration with Secure Canada in Toronto.
