The Preamble

The Preamble

How Counterterrorism Turned on Americans

The machinery built after 9/11 has found a new mission

Elise Labott's avatar
Elise Labott
Jul 08, 2026
∙ Paid

Twenty-five years after September 11, most Americans would probably assume the country’s counterterrorism apparatus is used mainly to stop foreign terrorists. They would be wrong.

The Trump administration’s new counterterrorism strategy, released in May, names Antifa — the loosely organized, leaderless, “anti-fascist” protest movement with no formal memb…

This post is for paid subscribers

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
Elise Labott's avatar
A guest post by
Elise Labott
Global affairs journalist. I write Cosmopolitics on Substack.
Subscribe to Elise
© 2026 Sharon McMahon · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture