'We were not prepared intellectually. Those of us in the national security field still carried the baggage of the Cold War. We thought in concepts of coalition warfare and the Warsaw Pact. When we thought of terrorism, we thought only of state-sponsored terrorism, which is why the immediate reaction of many in our government agencies after 9/11 was: Which state did it? Saddam, it must have been Saddam. We had failed to grasp, for a variety of reasons, the new phenomenon that had emerged in the world. This was not state-sponsored terrorism. This was religious war. .... This was the emergence of a transnational enemy driven by religious fervor and fanaticism. Our enemy is not terrorism. Our enemy is violent, Islamic fundamentalism.'
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- After 9/11, U.S. security officials mistakenly treated terrorism as state‑sponsored, missing its religious and transnational nature.
- In plain terms
- Officials misread terrorism as state‑driven, overlooking its religious roots.
- What can you take from it?
- Update threat assessments to reflect current realities.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What mechanisms can prevent outdated mindsets in security agencies?
- How can diverse perspectives improve threat analysis?
Another view
Broad labels can obscure specific motivations.
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