Extremism

By Olive Jones

“The process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event – like a new Pearl Harbor.” - The Project for a New American Century, September 2000. (1)

This month marks 25 years since the September 11th attacks here in New York City. On that day, the nation watched as 2,944 people tragically lost their lives. First responders rushed into the burning buildings, and many made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty that day. It had been 60 years since the last foreign attack on U.S. soil, Pearl Harbor. Our country, flanked by thousands of miles of ocean on either side and sandwiched between friendly nations, seemed impervious to foreign assault. After a century of raising war only on foreign soil, and 10 years after the end of history and the defeat of communism; these attacks put a crack in the armor that had kept Americans away from the horrors of battle. I argue that a fear of extremism was weaponized in order to consolidate power in the executive, and squash the ability of workers to form a party that represented their interest. Now, a quarter century later, we must wrestle back the definition of extremism from the state, and point their weapon back at them. 

In the hours after the attack, the 24-hour news cycle made a media spectacle of the attacks. Disturbing videos of the destruction were on loop, searing the images of the attack. The nation was glued to the TV, watching the tragedy unfold. Fear of more attacks sent the nation into lock down. Classes were dismissed, bosses let their employees go home early. The nation was glued to the TV, watching the tragedy unfold. At the same time a Bush administration lawyer would sit down and write the ‘Authorization for Use of Military Force of 2001’, or AUMF. This incredibly brief law, passed by congress seven days after the attack, handed sweeping powers to to use "all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001.”(2) This law would mark a significant change in US diplomatic policy. Although broadly understood at the time to apply only to those closely involved with the attack, this law would justify the killing of an estimated 1 million people (including indirect deaths, this figure rises to 3.7 million people)  in the so-called ‘War on Terror’ that in many ways continues on to this day.(3,4)Every president since has used this law to justify our 25 year assault in the Middle East, starting in Afghanistan and quickly spreading across the region. Within days of the attack, the genuine fear pervasive around the nation after September 11th was used to fuel the expansion of our military might and quench our thirst for oil. In service of this goal, propaganda was used to fan the flames of hate on racial and religious lines. This moment marked a massive transition in the United States government–itwas the domino in a  long chain of events that transitioned this country into the current Extremist regime that we live in today.

 This regime made many creative disguises for capitalism to wear. Sometimes it masqueraded as democratization, liberalisation. They attempted to dress it up as liberation or education in order to mask the endless bloodthirst we were enacting in order to dominate the resources of other nations. State propaganda, from Bush to Trump, has championed a narrative that we were there to rescue these people from their extremist governments. This propaganda effort rivals any other regime of its caliber. Under the leadership of George Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden, we accelerated the most vicious tendencies of capitalism abroad, on a scale that is impossible for most of its citizens to begin to imagine. It begs the question: Is this not extreme? Are we not extremists? 

The aftershock s of the War on Terror’s propaganda has had devastating effects on the political imagination of Americans. Sheldon Wolin coined the term ‘Inverted Totalitarianism’ to describe the effect this has on democratic institutions. He writes that “a weak legislative body, a legal system that is both compliant and repressive, a party system in which one party, whether in opposition or in the majority, is bent upon reconstituting the existing system so as to permanently favor a ruling class of the wealthy, the well-connected and the corporate, while leaving the poorer citizens with a sense of helplessness and political despair, and, at the same time, keeping the middle classes dangling between fear of unemployment and expectations of fantastic rewards once the new economy recovers.”(5) At the time Wolin published this article, 2003, this was a new regime and he left his readers with a question: “Which Way?” In 2026, the idea that there are any political alternatives feels like a distant dream to most. 

This year, on September 10th, a picture of Hasan Piker in his underwear was shown to the thousands of attendees at the Republican Midterm Conventions.(6) Mentions of James Talarico’s name elicited death threats from the crowd.(7) The project of extremist American propaganda is complete in many parts of the country. Somehow, the American ruling class have convinced their constituents that pedophile billionaires who enable genocide are less extreme than DSA members who want free healthcare. These people, who have been in power for over 20 years, are the extremists. The current political project is to undo years of brainwashing and show people across the whole country that we need a worker centered political alternative. Both parties, which act as one arm of capital, have failed us. Cracks have formed in the armor of mainstream politics. We need to seize on the growing backlash against the bourgeoisie, the data centers, the Epstein class. Whichever way we move, it needs to be together. 

Footnotes

1.  Donnelly et al., REBUILDING AMERICA’S DEFENSES Strategy, Forces and Resources For a New Century.

2. Authorization for Use of Military Force, S.J. Res. 23, September 2001, https://www.congress.gov/107/plaws/publ40/PLAW-107publ40.pdf

3.  “The 2001 AUMF: The Ultimate Guide to the Law That Defined America’s ‘Forever Wars.’”

4.  Democracy Now!, “4.7 Million Dead, $8 Trillion.”

5.  Wolin, Inverted Totalitarianism.

6. @hasandpiker, “Hasan Piker on Instagram.”

7.  Democracy Now!, “Daily Show for September 14, 2026.”