At this point, beyond upping the ante against ISIS, no one can predict just what force, set of groups, nation or nations, or even religion the Trump administration might choose as the next great "threat to national security." However, as long as the government, the media, and so much of the public agree that staving off doom is America's preeminent mission, the administration will have something close to a blank check to do whatever it likes. When it comes to "defending" the nation, what other choice is there?
Ira Chernus, a TomDispatch regular, is professor emeritus of religious studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder and author of the online MythicAmerica: Essays .
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Copyright 2017 Ira Chernus
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