10 years after 9/11: Reconsidering dangerous assumptions through the Arab Revolutions

Abstract

The September 11, 2001 events brought with their sorrow also a drastic reconfiguration of international security's top priorities. In the aftermath of the September 11 events the new global enemy was Islamist terrorism, Arab countries were its natural stronghold, and Muslims quickly became the 'risk- group' to be kept under control. The only possible answer to the 'devil of terrorism' was violence and the 'western' victory against it was an absolute certitude. In a very short amount of time, terrorism came to be seen as the greatest existential threat humanity was facing, Islamist terrorism was the 'new Antichrist', and America the nation that once again would have saved our freedoms and us all (in the 'west'). [...]

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