February 14, 2016
Does the U.S. Overstate the Threat of Terrorism?
Looking back on the past fifteen years, it is clear that September 11, 2001, dramatically altered the landscape of international security. It brought to light the reality that major terrorist attacks can happen on U.S. soil, and it largely changed Washington’s security focus to counterterrorism. While focusing on counterterrorism is important, the actual threat terrorism poses to the United States today tends to be exaggerated and causes the country to shift focus away from more serious national security issues. Instead, Washington should put more time and resources into matters that have the ability to significantly upend the global order.
September 11, 2001, marked the last major terrorist attack on American soil. Fifteen years on, and it still drives much of the discussion about U.S. national security. For example, if you’ve watched one of the many presidential debates over the last few months, you’ve heard numerous candidates claim that terrorism, especially ISIS, is one of the biggest threats to the United States and must be defeated at all costs.
Read the full article on The National Interest.
More from CNAS
-
Can China Capitalize on Changing Transatlantic Currents?
Podcast
This week’s episode of Brussels Sprouts picks up in the aftermath of the Munich Security Conference. The U.S. tone at Munich was notably more conciliatory than last year, as U...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend
-
The Sound of Munich: Autonomy, Anxiety, and the Twilight of Transatlantic Order
Commentary
This article was originally published in War on the Rocks. Munich was warmer than Washington this weekend, both in weather and in sentiment. Neither development was widely fo...
By Richard Fontaine
-
Commentary
Transatlantic Security / Middle East Security
Migration Can Provide the Manpower for European DefenseThis article was originally published in Foreign Policy. Europe faces parallel challenges that policymakers have yet to connect: a pressing military recruitment shortage and a...
By Adham Sahloul
-
Can Europe (Ever) Defend Itself?
Podcast
Today’s Brussels Sprouts discussion follows on from our conversation last week on whether middle powers have the ability to chart a course more independent of the United State...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Jim Townsend & Franz-Stefan Gady
