---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Enemies can be confronted only if they…"
description: "\"“Enemies can be confronted only if they are first brought to earth. And that means bringing them to earth somewhere, as the Americans brought al-Qa‘eda..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06f/roger-scruton-971_israel_enemies-can-be-confronted-only-if-they-a_2979227.jpg"
---

#  Enemies can be confronted only if they are first brought…

![“Enemies can be confronted only if they are first brought to earth. And that means bringing them to earth somewhere, as the Americans brought al-Qa‘eda to earth in Afghanistan. Globalization may have made it harder to defend ourselves against terrorist assaults, but we are nevertheless defending…” quote by Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06f/roger-scruton-971_israel_enemies-can-be-confronted-only-if-they-a_2979227.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06f/roger-scruton-971_israel_enemies-can-be-confronted-only-if-they-a_2979227.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06f/roger-scruton-971_israel_enemies-can-be-confronted-only-if-they-a_2979227.jpg)

> ““Enemies can be confronted only if they are first brought to earth. And that means bringing them to earth somewhere, as the Americans brought al-Qa‘eda to earth in Afghanistan. Globalization may have made it harder to defend ourselves against terrorist assaults, but we are nevertheless defending territory, the place where we are, and hunting down our enemies in the place where they are.””

[Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Defeating enemies requires confronting them on their own ground, but globalization complicates defense.

**In simple terms:** Fight foes where they are, though it's harder now.

Key Takeaway

Address threats at their source.

Themes

security globalization terrorism

Mood

analytical critical

Type

political strategic

When to use this quote

- military planning
- foreign policy
- intelligence work

Key Concepts

political strategy geopolitics

Questions to Reflect On

- What are non‑military ways to counter terrorism?
- Can globalization be leveraged for security?

A Different Perspective

Overreliance on force may ignore diplomatic solutions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bringing Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bringing-earth-4624540/) [Brought Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brought-earth-620888/) [Defend Terrorist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defend-terrorist-4532888/) [Enemies Confronted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemies-confronted-4624538/) [Globalization Harder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/globalization-harder-4624539/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/)

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