Why the lessons of 9/11 are wasted

‘No one seems aware any longer that there’s such a thing as a hostile external power that poses a graver threat to our existence than in-house systemic racism or micro-aggressions. In the Biden administration, our generals have been fixated not on international threats, or even on getting our troops safely out of Afghanistan, but on rooting out “white [hate] rage” in our own soldiers. Biden himself has encouraged our intelligence community to switch their focus from Islamist terrorism to domestic extremists on the right…..The lessons of 9/11 are wasted on us’ (Lionel Shriver - Telegraph U.K.)

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ArishMell · 70-79, M

Yesterday the head of MI5 in the UK has publicly warned that the Taliban's coup could encourage extremists and terrorists both political and Islamicist in Britain, Europe and the USA.

The political threat at least in Europe is mainly from the far-Right; encouraged by the increasingly dictatorial far-Right governments in Hungary, Russia and Turkey.

(I think there is a difference between what Americans see as far-Left/Right, and how they are seen elsewhere, with 20C memories of all-too-real extreme-wing governments.)

Grvstu · 70-79, F

But the head of MI5 has to moderate what he says to be PC. We all know where the main terrorist threat will come from. It is quite obvious.@ArishMell

ArishMell · 70-79, M

@Grvstu He is a professional intelligence officer accustomed to to explaining the situation properly and clearly in a moderate, civilised manner; and he did so!

Note that he did not blame the Taliban as such, nor name any particular group. He warned that the Taliban's take-over in Afghanistan may encourage extremists - many of them "lone wolves" not orgnaised groups - living in other countries including the UK.

In Britain, the threat from the far-Right (neo-Nazi / Fascist and similar, some with intense isolationist and racist views) has been known for some time; but we have also had home-grown Islamicists' terror attacks. As have other countries, such as France, of course.

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By your analysis though, who are "we all", what do you consider the main extremist threats in the UK and mainland Europe, and how are they "obvious"?

I do not know your nationality, but I appreciate that if you are American you may be facing different threats, or similar ones in different ways.

Grvstu · 70-79, F

Yes but you obviously do not read between the lines like I do. Most of us with any sense know where the threat comes from. We also know he has to be politically correct to avoid upsetting certain elements. @ArishMell

ArishMell · 70-79, M

@Grvstu In what respect?

And you have not yet defined what you see as the "main terrorist threat" that is "obvious" to "we all"; nor where.

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The extremist threats to the [i]UK and European [/i]countries are from both Islamicists and far-Right political ideologists.

The extremists themselves are generally native residents of those countries; some groups, some individually (the "lone wolf" types).

The Islamic extremists tend to sympathise with ISIS' dream of its own version of the Third Reich; with somewhat similar attitudes to the original Nazis, Stalin's USSR and Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge.

The political ones tend to exploit fears raised by the ISIS types and by continuing, large flows of immigrants escaping wars, droughts and poverty in Africa and the Middle East. Some do admire Adolf Hitler's regime.

[i]These have been known for a long time[/i].

The warning from MI5 is of the Afghanistan situation encouraging such extremists in Western Europe.

Within Afghanistan, the Taliban may face problems from its rivals, ISIS, as well as domestic resistance; but if ISIS really causes trouble there I wonder if and how China will become involved. After all, the hard-line atheist Beijing government has announced its support for the hard-line theocratic Taliban. Just don't mention the tragic (Muslim) Uyghurs...

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America has her own internal threats from her own versions of both far-Left and far-Right, arising from deep social and political divisions and problems within American life. Nevertheless, the 20th anniversary of the World Trade Center atrocity by Al Quaeda, being commemorated in the UK as well as the USA, will warn us all that she need still be well aware of external threats.

Meanwhile over here, our thoughts are with you on this memorial day.

Grvstu · 70-79, F

It does not alter the fact of where the main threat comes from. @ArishMell