January 16, 2026
We hardly notice, but it appears radical Islam is receding and has lost the war. Events in Iran are merely one more manifestation of a trend series we’ve seen operating for some time. What doesn’t happen is just as important as what does happen, but we can’t see that because, well, there is nothing to see.
It appears that terrorist organizations have been thoroughly infiltrated by Western securities services. How many times do we read that some terrorist act has been thwarted when an undercover agent blew in the perpetrator(s)? We would all assume that technology is at the heart of it (they, like everyone else, have to communicate). But that also means, as in any other counter-terrorism technique, law enforcement is hardly going to tell us how they do it. And we’re fine with that, of course.
Terrorist incidents appear to be increasingly the work of a single individual and a not very talented one. I’m thinking of the guy who drove a rental truck into a crowd of 3,000 demonstrators in Los Angeles, injuring two people. Both of whom waived off hospital care. How in the world do you drive a truck into a densely packed crowd of 3,000 people and just nick a couple of them?
Assad is gone in Syria. Hamas and Hezbollah appear to no longer be fighting forces. The unrest in Iran could very well topple the mullahs and thus remove the prime fomenter of terror, worldwide. And one is always reminded that radical Islam is not an attractive lifestyle and so, your ability to attract people to it doesn’t exist. You wind up with the marginalized.
Now you never can take a victory lap on these things. They require eternal vigilance. And you don’t want to jinx a situation either. Suddenly some guy does something and you’re right back in the headline soup.
But you can’t ignore trend either, and the trend seems pretty clear.
I am going to be early and say that no one is allowed to take sole credit on all of this. Progress has required the commitment made by now decades of governments, of all political parties, to accomplish what has been accomplished. It would be ungracious for the Trumpians to take the credit. Clearly, Trump has been a strong force…he had the guts to gut the Iranian nuclear program. But it is the steady pressure exerted on hate groups that eventually wins the war, not any single event.
You notice that most all the Gaza protesting has stopped. They have moved onto other things. One thing they don’t seem to have as much energy for is protesting the slaughter among Iranian protestors. Among other reasons, why I have no use for street protestors…they cloak themselves in humanitarian garb but they are actually hardened political activists. They want to get rid of the Right, they cynically use the misery of the Palestinians as their lightning rod. They go after the American government; they don’t go after the mullahs. I don’t need to be enlightened on that one. I get it.
I’m hoping that the ground is slowly being cleared for a better future. I’m hoping that leaders seeking a better future for the Palestinians and the Israelis can finally come together. “You know, no one is going anywhere and so, we need to make peace. We need to focus now on a better future for our children, rather than focusing on destroying other people’s children. Let’s try a clean piece of paper and start writing ideas on it.” Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Am I naïve? Is the hate and history now so indelibly written that this is not possible? Leadership can make a difference!
The history of Muslim expansion in direct conflict with Christian states goes back 1400 years. It is more or less a constant of history than an exception. Remember, Muslims conquered Spain in 718 for example. So, we are merely in one of the periodic flare-ups of this ancient competition and strife. One thereby is sobered to realize that we can enter a period of solitude, of quiet, but most probably not, a final resolution.
But I think we’d all settle for a period of quietude, right?
Much as Cubans, the Iranian people are a highly educated, industrious and accomplished people. Iranians are Persians, they are not Arabs so there is a difference in world view and history. The first Persian empire stretched from the Balkans and Eastern Europe in the west to the Indus Valley in the east, encompassing modern-day Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Egypt, Libya, Afghanistan, Pakistan, parts of Central Asia, the Caucasus, and parts of Greece. Estimated 40-50 million people (about 44% of world’s population at the time). This made it the largest empire the world had yet seen.
Alexander the Great defeated it and there you go…East vs West is an old story.
Well, we can only wish everyone well. We can only hope that a better future emerges. And I do believe there is reason to hope for that.
While radical Islam can “win” a battle here and there, they can’t win the war and that’s become obvious.
Thoughts, questions, or reflections? I’d love to hear them. You can reach me anytime at anthony@workingprofit.com
