The idea of a global ideological battle between our democracy and communism (Russia and China) has preoccupied our leadership since World War II. While this has been important and must continue to get our attention, smaller radical ideologies have emerged with very real and dangerous consequences. They are: (1) North Korea’s thermonuclear weapon and intercontinental ballistic missile and its insane intent to use them, and (2) radical Islam and its global spread, particularly in the Mideast and in the European Union.

The western Christian-Islam hatreds go back almost 2,000 years. The West underwent “enlightenment” in religion and culture; Islamic hatred simmered. Fortunately, their ability to wage terrorism and war was limited geographically. That is not the case today as international travel and mass migration of Islamists poses a serious threat to the West. This is especially true of the European Union in the near term. A 2,000-year legacy has metastasized.How do we prepare for and arm ourselves emotionally, informationally, structurally and physically able to handle these threats? It seems to me that we are concentrating upon classical ideological threats rather than the near-term and potentially disastrous smaller threats. We require a radical shift in our nation’s diplomacy and threat preparedness.William GaddesNesquehoning