Every empire needs a scary external threat, led by a singular menacing villain, to justify its massive military expenditures, consolidation of authoritarian powers, and endless wars. For the five decades after the end of World War II, Moscow played this role perfectly. But the fall of Soviet Union meant, at least for a while, that the Kremlin could no longer sustain sufficient fear levels. After some brief, largely unsuccessful auditions for possible replacements – Asian actors like China and a splurging Japan were considered – the post-9/11 era elevated a cast of Muslim understudies to the starring role: Al Qaeda …read more
Source: The Intercept
