WhatsappWhen did radical Islam become the primary issue that most Americans are scared of? Did it all just begin on 9/11? Not at all. From 1945 till 1989, the primary war that America was concerned with was the Cold War with the Soviet Union. But that was not at all the only sphere of influence in the world that mattered.
China was going through major changes in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. By the 80’s and especially the 90’s China would emerge as a major economic power that would change the geopolitical landscape of the 21st century. But before World War II, there were other major world conflagrations. World War I was perhaps the most unnecessary yet deadly war in the history of mankind. Very little changed, yet everything in the world changed due to World War I. Nearly everything that happened in World War II can be attributed to changes that occurred during World War I.
But what about the 18th and even the 17th centuries? What were the main causes of battle in those very non-peaceful centuries? Nationalism was a major force that drove many of the mass movements in the 19th century. But before that, many of the wars were fought over religious issues. France, England and Germany were often the key world players. But there were other significant geopolitical shifts.
The United States was not yet a world power in the early 19th century and it was busy going through growing pains and consolidating it’s control over much of North America. England, France and America were still figuring things out in North America. So, was Islam actually much of an issue at that stage? This eye-opener of a video enlightens as Shai Ben-Tekoa displays his vast knowledge of world history. Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers of the United States, was concerned and dealt with these issues all the way back at the turn of the 19th century.
