Islamism Without Excuses 

Islamist terror in Southeast Asia is instructive. It demonstrates that Islamism is an internally generative ideological system. It does not require Western troops, Israeli intelligence operations, colonial grievance, or economic despair to produce violence. It produces violence on its own.

This runs directly against modern politics’ cherished assumption that Islamist violence is reactive, emerges from grievance, and will subside if the right injustices were addressed, the violence would subside.

It is a comforting theory. It is also wrong.