From the Sudan and Nigeria to the Indian subcontinent, Indonesia and the Philippines, Islamacists are in conflict with Christians, Jews and Hindus. Russia is bogged down in its second Chechen war. A year ago, bombs exploded in Moscow leaving hundreds dead. Another blast rocked one of the cities' underpasses last month. For America, the threat is more remote but still quite real.
China presents a different challenge.
Today, Russian President Vladimir Putin toys with the China card. Tomorrow, Russia could be trumped by Beijing. It shares a border with the PRC that spans four time zones. In the 1960s, there were clashes between Soviet troops and the People's Liberation Army. More than a million Chinese have immigrated to Siberia, establishing a beachhead there.