In the last decade, terrorism has emerged as one of the most important political issues in the United States. Unlike its European partners, the US virtually escaped the horror of terrorism during the Cold War era. This is no longer true.
Terrorists now select targets in the United States itself.
Throughout the 1990s, a series of explosions shattered America's peace of mind, raising fears about further attacks and calls for punitive action against the perpetrators and their alleged sponsors. The subsequent trial coupled with the revelations that the perpetrators had conspired to carry out a bloody campaign to destroy the United Nations and other New York landmarks and force the United States to abandon its support for Israel and Egypt deepened Americans' fears about the security threats associated with Islamic militancy. It is within this context that some US officials and many commentators have linked terrorism to Islamic militancy. Many books and policy pamphlets have examined the terrorist threat, contingency plans have been drawn, and the US security apparatus has been mobilized and trained to deal with potential terrorist attacks. In other words, the threat of terrorism has spawned a big industry, and has struck fear and horror in the American psyche.