March 14, 2016
The fear driving Trump's success is tying America's hands in war on terror
Donald Trump is riding a wave of fear to electoral victory across the country. One of the greatest fears driving supporters to Trump is that of the global jihad, led today by ISIS and al Qaeda. This fear is entirely at odds with reality. But its impact has not been limited to the U.S. presidential race. Indeed, this fear has become a danger in itself by tying the hands of America’s leaders in the fight against ISIS and al Qaeda.
U.S. officials and analysts have often described the global jihad as an “existential threat,” and many Americans seem to agree. Today, 70 percent of Americans rate ISIS as a major threat to the U.S. homeland and 47 percent fear being victims of terrorism themselves. Trump has drawnsignificant support from these segments of the population by convincing them that he will do whatever it takes to keep them safe, from monitoring mosques to barring Muslims from entering the country.
Read the full op-ed at The Hill.
More from CNAS
-
The Siren Song: Technology, JADC2, and the Future of War
Winning future wars will not be about maintaining information advantage but rather prevailing when neither side has the advantage. And that is not a war that can be won by new...
By Andrew Metrick
-
Sharper: Integrated Deterrence
The belated 2022 National Defense Strategy—released in October of last year—identified integrated deterrence as the cornerstone of the strategy. Integrated deterrence calls fo...
By Anna Pederson & Michael Akopian
-
What Is the Purpose of the American “Brigade 101” Conducting Military Exercises in Romania?
Michael Akopian, Research Assistant at the Center for a New American Security joined Now Asharq to discuss the purpose of U.S. Military exercises in Romania. Listen to the f...
By Michael Akopian
-
Taiwan: Why the US & China are on collision course for war
In this special analysis, DW's Richard Walker uncovers the roots of the dispute over Taiwan, in part 1 tracing how the diplomatic breakthroughs of the 1970s between the US and...
By Michèle Flournoy