Scott Shane has a really good piece on a conversation we really need to be having–to what extent are America’s ongoing wars “normalizing” conflict between the West and Islam in a manner that ultimately serves al-Qaeda’s interests and draws more recruits to their side? I also thought the point of Shane’s kicker is too often overlooked:
The trouble with terrorism is what the theorists call asymmetry. Hundreds of billions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of troops, and the best generals on the planet can be undercut by a disgruntled accountant, commanding the world’s attention with a bomb that didn’t even explode.
This isn’t actually a given, it’s entirely dependent on Americans’ willingness to be terrorized. Things get even more complicated when politicians start thinking there’s something to be gained politically by making sure that we are, whether the bomb goes off or not.
— A. Serwer
