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What is the gravest threat to
the security of the United States?
A layperson, a policymaker, and an academic are all likely to
answer the same: terrorism.
While terrorism remains the focus of both the people of the United
States and the national security establishment, and arguably forms the
framework within which a significant portion of foreign policy
decisions are made, uncertainty still exists about both the nature and
source of threat posed by terrorism.
Who exactly threatens us and why? Does religion matter? Do those who commit acts of terrorism
fundamentally hate the United States and the values associated with
it? Unfortunately,
terrorism’s definitional ambiguity and the variation among the
demands and motivations of its perpetrators prohibit definitive answers
to the above questions.
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