Rating the U.S. Reaction to Terrorist Attacks

Looking at the world’s response to recent terrorist attacks — from policy shifts to political stumping to emotional outpourings and shows of solidarity — how does America measure up?

FP_podcast_article_artwork-1-globalthinkers
FP_podcast_article_artwork-1-globalthinkers

David Rothkopf, Jeffrey Goldberg, Kori Schake, and Micah Zenko evaluate the U.S. response to the attacks in Paris and in Mali and the downing of a Russian passenger jet. The response to the Paris attacks has been especially strong — particularly among 2016 presidential hopefuls. And though U.S. presidential candidates have focused on these attacks with patriotic intensity, they stop short of offering any new or reliable solutions. The most opportunistic among them is Donald Trump, and the media is enabling his exploitative — but headline-grabbing — platforms by granting him so much coverage. But at the end of the day, how much does it really matter what Western politicians are saying?

David Rothkopf, Jeffrey Goldberg, Kori Schake, and Micah Zenko evaluate the U.S. response to the attacks in Paris and in Mali and the downing of a Russian passenger jet. The response to the Paris attacks has been especially strong — particularly among 2016 presidential hopefuls. And though U.S. presidential candidates have focused on these attacks with patriotic intensity, they stop short of offering any new or reliable solutions. The most opportunistic among them is Donald Trump, and the media is enabling his exploitative — but headline-grabbing — platforms by granting him so much coverage. But at the end of the day, how much does it really matter what Western politicians are saying?

Jeffrey Goldberg is a national correspondent for the Atlantic. Follow him on Twitter: @JeffreyGoldberg.

Kori Schake is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, where she focuses on military history, and a former foreign-policy advisor to Sen. John McCain. Follow her on Twitter: @KoriSchake.

David Rothkopf is CEO and editor of the FP Group. Follow him on Twitter: @djrothkopf.

Micah Zenko is a senior fellow at the Center for Preventive Action at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of the new book Red Team: How to Succeed by Thinking Like the Enemy. Follow him on Twitter: @MicahZenko.

Subscribe to The E.R. podcast and other FP podcasts on iTunes here.

More from Foreign Policy

Residents evacuated from Shebekino and other Russian towns near the border with Ukraine are seen in a temporary shelter in Belgorod, Russia, on June 2.
Residents evacuated from Shebekino and other Russian towns near the border with Ukraine are seen in a temporary shelter in Belgorod, Russia, on June 2.

Russians Are Unraveling Before Our Eyes

A wave of fresh humiliations has the Kremlin struggling to control the narrative.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva shake hands in Beijing.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva shake hands in Beijing.

A BRICS Currency Could Shake the Dollar’s Dominance

De-dollarization’s moment might finally be here.

Keri Russell as Kate Wyler in an episode of The Diplomat
Keri Russell as Kate Wyler in an episode of The Diplomat

Is Netflix’s ‘The Diplomat’ Factual or Farcical?

A former U.S. ambassador, an Iran expert, a Libya expert, and a former U.K. Conservative Party advisor weigh in.

An illustration shows the faces of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin interrupted by wavy lines of a fragmented map of Europe and Asia.
An illustration shows the faces of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin interrupted by wavy lines of a fragmented map of Europe and Asia.

The Battle for Eurasia

China, Russia, and their autocratic friends are leading another epic clash over the world’s largest landmass.