“America faces flashpoints and threats around the world,” said Leon Panetta, in a speech arguing that Clinton would make a better leader in a time of terrorism and geopolitical conflict than Trump would. Both the Republican and Democratic conventions focused on these issues, though in different ways with different emotional textures. It’s worth keeping in mind that Americans, only partly because of our geography, have experienced fewer terrorist incidents than Europe. “Donald Trump cannot become our commander in chief,” Panetta said.
An analysis by Daniel L. Byman of the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution reads in part: “Over 5,000 Europeans have gone to fight in Iraq and Syria; less than 200 Americans have joined the struggle. Europe also shares a land border with Iraq and Syria via Turkey and is logistically far more accessible for Islamic State fighters to go back and forth, while the United States is protected by two great oceans. Even putting foreign fighters and simple geography aside, Muslim communities in Europe have more radicalized individuals who stay in Europe, and thus a greater native pool of recruits for lone wolf and other attacks.”
One question facing U.S. military and political leaders that has become a flashpoint in this election is how immigration and refugee policies affect our exposure to terrorism — an issue on which the two parties sharply divide.
