In Peter Bergen’s book United States of Jihad he suggests that the threat in the U.S. from jihadist terrorists is real but “far from existential.” He writes:
Since 2001, forty-five Americans have been killed by jihadist terrorists in the United States. In that same period, by contrast, forty-eight have been killed in acts of political violence by far-right extremists.
While these numbers have changed somewhat since the book came out (especially after the Orlando mass-shooting), the overall point holds.
reflect on the selections from Bergen’s book used in our class and on the fact that, since 9/11, our country has been largely free from significant, well-planned jihadist terrorist attacks. And, please keep in mind that during this same time period, the country has suffered a steady number of terrorist attacks motivated by other ideologies and political objectives. Some possible questions to consider include: Are we too worried about the threat from jihadist terrorism? Have we just been lucky? What drives the profound sense of fear about jihadist terrorist attacks now given the reality and domestic security of the post-9/11 era? What is the best way to respond to the real, though “far from existential” threat of terrorism in the U.S. today? What might we be losing as a society through our focus on the domestic threat from jihadist terrorists?