The New Cold War

IN front of our eyes, a new organizing principle is emerging in the world. Islamic extremism is an ideological challenge, and states have to respond to it accordingly. Another Cold War is taking shape. Its duration and scope are uncertain. President Bush is already speaking of a year or two, but some experts are forecasting as much as fifty years. The implications are global. Once more, people will be deciding what exactly freedom means to them.

Communist and Islamic extremism both have militaristic and imperial aims, directed to recruit where possible, and to attack elsewhere. Their claims to be universal imply the actual destruction of all other values. Communism turned out to be the Russian national interest in disguise. Soviet grievances against the West were unreal, but the expression of them was rational. In contrast, Islamic extremism has a restricted territorial base, and by definition cannot appeal to non-Muslims. The phenomenon arises from the complex interplay of an identity wounded by modernity, and the complete political and social failures of Muslim states. The grievances here are real, but their expression is irrational, even suicidal. Islamic extremism is therefore a more unpredictable and elusive enemy.

About the Author

David Pryce-Jones

David Pryce-Jones (1936–2025) was a British author and commentator and served as a senior editor of National Review.

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IN front of our eyes, a new organizing principle is emerging in the world. Islamic extremism is an ideological challenge, and states have to respond to it accordingly. Another Cold War is taking shape. Its duration and scope are uncertain. President Bush is already speaking of a year or two, but some experts are forecasting as much as fifty years. The implications are global. Once more, people will be deciding what exactly freedom means to them.

Communist and Islamic extremism both have militaristic and imperial aims, directed to recruit where possible, and to attack elsewhere. Their claims to be universal imply the actual destruction of all other values. Communism turned out to be the Russian national interest in disguise. Soviet grievances against the West were unreal, but the expression of them was rational. In contrast, Islamic extremism has a restricted territorial base, and by definition cannot appeal to non-Muslims. The phenomenon arises from the complex interplay of an identity wounded by modernity, and the complete political and social failures of Muslim states. The grievances here are real, but their expression is irrational, even suicidal. Islamic extremism is therefore a more unpredictable and elusive enemy.