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Terrorism
As the US marked the 20th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks last year, the threat of terrorism in the US has become primarily internal.
cyberattacks. It is believed that this vulnerability threatens global computer networks. China, Iran, North Korea and Turkey have reportedly attempted to exploit this vulnerability, while government cybersecurity teams in the US, UK and 27 European Union countries are providing guidance and recommendations to deal with it.36
The Log4j vulnerability and the Colonial Pipeline attack in 2021 are reminders of the constant threat of cyberattacks that we will face in 2022.
Terrorism
When we evaluate the risks of terrorism, we typically think of terrorist groups like al Qaeda, ISIL and Boko Haram. However, we now broaden our perspective to include domestic terrorism. In June 2021, the Biden administration released its first National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism. The report concluded that domestic violent extremists motivated by “recent political and societal events” such as “narratives of fraud in the recent general election … and conspiracy theories promoting violence” will continue to attempt to engage in violence.37
Bremmer agrees that the threat of terrorism in the US is primarily internal.
On the international front, US troops’ departure from Afghanistan allows terrorist organizations to establish themselves in Afghanistan and also makes counterterrorism activities harder to implement. Carter told us: “We would have never gotten to Abbottabad [Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan] if we couldn’t fly from Jalalabad” [city in Afghanistan that is a 15-minute flight away on US military aircraft from Pakistan’s borders].
However, the risks of international terrorism have not changed since 2021.
In June 2021, the Biden administration released its first National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism.
— Dr. Ash Carter
