National Security Threats

 National security threats were at one time seen as external and mostly military, but Americans in recent years have taken a more expansive view, feeling that a national security threat is anything that kills or harms large numbers of Americans.

Susan Rice recently discussed a reputable poll that asked what Americans ranked as the top critical threats to U.S. vital interests.  Here is the overall list from one to seven:

the Covid-19 pandemic

domestic violent extremism

China

global economic downturn

political polarization

international terrorism

foreign interference in U.S. elections

Rice pointed out that the list itself reflected polarization.  While the overall list did not mention global climate change (I would have put that first), 75% of Democrats deemed it a critical threat, second to the pandemic.  Republicans and Independents didn’t include it in the top seven.

Republicans ranked China #1.  China did not make top seven for Democrats.  

Rice pointed out that this kind of polarization, even in a listing of critical threats, makes it very easy for hostile countries like Russia to sow dissent and increase divisions.  And I can tell you who to blame.  Fox News, Trump, McConnell, Rush Limbaugh, Facebook, Twitter.  I’m sure you can add some of your own culprits.

See Susan E. Rice, “A Divided America Is a National Security Threat,” New York Times, (Sept. 23, 2020), p. A27.