Can anyone agree on what America’s ‘greatest threat’ is?
It’s one of the most persistent cliches of foreign-policy commentary, particularly since it’s an assertion that’s basically impossible to disprove. Here are some things that have been described, in various terms, as the greatest threat to U.S. national security or the American way of life in the past few months: A "lone-wolf" terrorist attack – ...
It's one of the most persistent cliches of foreign-policy commentary, particularly since it's an assertion that's basically impossible to disprove. Here are some things that have been described, in various terms, as the greatest threat to U.S. national security or the American way of life in the past few months:
It’s one of the most persistent cliches of foreign-policy commentary, particularly since it’s an assertion that’s basically impossible to disprove. Here are some things that have been described, in various terms, as the greatest threat to U.S. national security or the American way of life in the past few months:
A "lone-wolf" terrorist attack – President Barack Obama
President Barack Obama – Gov. Rick Perry
China’s nuclear arsenal – Director of National Intelligence James Clapper
The national debt – Former Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen
The economic crisis – Retired Adm. Dennis Blair
Nuclear terrorism – Former Vice President Dick Cheney
Yemen – Defense Secretary Leon Panetta
"Homegrown terror" – U.S. National Counterterrorism Center Director Michael Leiter
Cyber attacks – FBI Director James Mueller
Iran – 63 percent of Americans
The Haqqani Network – Christiane Amanpour
Global warming – Sen. Barbara Boxer
Central American drug gangs – Assistant Secretary of State William Brownfield
The radical secular socialist machine – Newt Gingrich
Obamacare – Rick Santorum
Electromagnetic Pulse weapons – EMPact America
The homosexual agenda – The American Family Association’s Bryan Fischer
So hard to know what to be most afraid of these days!
Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating
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