Remembering 9/11 and Understanding Terrorism Now

Without a doubt, those of us alive in 2001 remember the attacks that drove the United States into the War on Terror.  The images of 2,753 fellow Americans should be an image that we will never forget in what has led to a pursuit of justice worldwide, and as we have made significant accomplishments in dismantling Al-Qaida, it is important that we understand that terrorism may have no end, but that does not mean we should abandon the fight.


As President Obama announced a strategy to confront ISIS, I believe a real issue that we face now is understanding that due to technology, terrorist groups now have the ability to transcend regional boundaries and can now establish support globally via social networking.  This is nothing new, but is a challenge that Al-Qaida has struggled with but ISIS seems to support and actively use (such as the recent murders of James Foley and Steven Sotloff).  Videos of recent terrorist actions filmed within Afghanistan and Iraq have made their way onto YouTube and Twitter, eventually being flagged in most instances and removed, however, file sharing also allows sympathizers to tap into these and educate themselves on potential tactics, methods, and other means that are extremely useful to develop a plot.  While I believe the "lone wolf" threat is in many ways exaggerated (not to say in any ways nonexistent), it is important to understand that without confronting the means of developing a violent and radical ideology, we will continue in what will be a losing battle.


ISIS is developing in my opinion to become the new face of global terrorism, working its way throughout the region and destroying societies and people, dismantling way of life and paving a path of destruction.  It is important to understand that it will take regional partnerships, our allies, and our own resolve to successfully confront this threat.  While we may look at the struggles that we faced since the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the political debate, this is a conflict that is not just within Syria but is growing and will continue, and someone has to be there to counter this threat.  I am confident that there is the support among our regional partners to commit to this fight because the risk is simply too great, and with complete confidence, if we continue to allow ISIS to develop, the threats we face here at home will grow and possibly lead to another attack on the home front.


As we honor all the victims of 9/11/01, let us remember also the lessons of disregarding a global threat and only responding rather than preventing.  As the mujahideen fighters fed into Al-Qaida's leadership in the decade prior to 9/11, we are seeing a new group of fighters who are acting behind computers and radicalizing a new wave of fighters.  History is there for a reason, let us learn from our past.