Terrorism Continues to be Top Risk

By Con George-Kotzabasis

The reason that they are not in the list might be not because they are not a “top risk” but because terrorism is immeasurable. One must bear in mind that there are issues and events that can be estimated by the calculus of reason and others that cannot. Al-Qaeda and international terrorism fall in the latter category. There are no statistics for natural disasters, plagues, and deadly viruses of which one can make an estimate when, where, and to what degree they will break out, since they are said to be ‘acts of God’. Islamic terrorism is the ‘act of God’ par excellence since its practitioners reverently believe that they are executing the orders of Allah.

No calculus of reason will ever measure the degree of fanaticism, its crescendo, and its virus like spread in the Muslim communities inhabiting the world. And the great danger of terrorism lies, unlike natural disasters which are intermittent, in the fact that it’s a continuous threat without knowing in advance where and when it will break out. But despite this hand of invisibility that perpetrates these murderous actions of terror, it can be defeated by intelligent and decisive action. Eroding and continuously diminishing the ability of terrorists to be successful in their operations might put the mouse of doubt into their hearts nibbling at their belief that they are the instruments of Allah and thus gradually force them to abandon their eschatological cause.