Terrorism: The Rise Of The United States During The Cold War

During the Cold War, and a bit after, the enemy to the United States was very clear, it was Russia and everything associated with “communism”. In the time following the Cold War, the focus of the United States has shifted significantly, and it will continue to do so. The enemy is no longer as easily targetable, it has become a guerilla type fighting force, with more intricacies than we have ever faced in the past. We have arguably had more technological growth in the last 30 years than we have in any short amount of time in the history of mankind. The growth has made intelligence collection, while more streamlined and faster, also exponentially more difficult. In the coming years, the United States will continue to focus on terrorism and everything
In previous decades, terrorism has been on the rise, and it has only continued to grow since the attacks of September 11th. In 2014, according to The Economist Magazine, over 30 million people were killed worldwide due to terrorist attacks (Daily Chart, 2015). This number is more than double the number of deaths from the previous year. In addition, the U.S. Department of State has over 60 different organizations listed as active terrorist organizations worldwide (Foreign Terrorist Organization, n.d.). In order for an organization to be deemed a “terrorist” organization by the U.S. Department of State, they must not only be a foreign organization, but they must be involved with the execution or planning of activities that have a direct effect on U.S. nationals or U.S. national security (Foreign Terrorist Organization, n.d.). With this threat being the main concentration of the United States over the last decade and a half, and still growing, it is easy to see why this is an area that the United States IC will continue to keep its center of attention on. What does make this more difficult, is the associated
Ever since 1776, whenever the United States first declared itself as its own entity, guerilla warfare has been present. We used it as an extremely effective tactic against the British, and it has been present throughout many of the wars we have fought throughout the centuries. Unfortunately, the presence of this “guerilla” force is unlike anything the United States has seen previously. This force is very well funded, and has the entire world at its fingertips, both for recruitment, and as a stage to show off its nefarious activities. It is able to send secure messages in the blink of an eye, and coordinate attacks from thousands of miles away. This is why I believe that terrorism, and everything associated with it, is the greatest challenge that the United States will face within the next decade. The enemy has become more diverse, more agile, and deadlier than before. This, paired with growing and advancing technology, makes for a deadly concoction that cannot be