--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When the American president and his…" description: "\"“When the American president and his national security adviser speak of fighting terrorism alongside Russia, what they are proposing to the American pe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcd/timothy-snyder-882_american-people_when-the-american-president-and-his-nati_2369089.jpg" --- # When the American president and his national security… ![“When the American president and his national security adviser speak of fighting terrorism alongside Russia, what they are proposing to the American people is terror management: the exploitation of real, dubious, and simulated terror attacks to bring down democracy. The Russian recap of the first…” quote by Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcd/timothy-snyder-882_american-people_when-the-american-president-and-his-nati_2369089.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcd/timothy-snyder-882_american-people_when-the-american-president-and-his-nati_2369089.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcd/timothy-snyder-882_american-people_when-the-american-president-and-his-nati_2369089.jpg) > ““When the American president and his national security adviser speak of fighting terrorism alongside Russia, what they are proposing to the American people is terror management: the exploitation of real, dubious, and simulated terror attacks to bring down democracy. The Russian recap of the first telephone call between the president and Vladimir Putin is telling: The two men “shared the opinion that it is necessary to join forces against the common enemy number one: international terrorism and extremism.”” [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote warns that framing terrorism as a shared enemy can be used to manipulate public fear and undermine democracy. **In simple terms:** Terror can be used to control people. Key Takeaway Beware of fear‑based political narratives. Themes politics terrorism democracy Mood cautious critical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - elections - media coverage - policy debates - public rallies Key Concepts propaganda fear tactics authoritarianism Questions to Reflect On - What evidence shows manipulation versus genuine security concerns? - How can citizens critically assess terror‑related rhetoric? A Different Perspective Such narratives can also rally genuine solidarity against real threats. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-people/) [American president](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-president/) [Common enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-enemy/) [Cybersecurity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cybersecurity/) [Fighting terrorism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighting-terrorism/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [National security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/national-security/) ## Related quotes > [“When the American president and his national security adviser speak of fighting terrorism alongside Russia, what they are proposing to the American people is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/when-the-american-president-and-his-national-security-adviser-speak-2/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Modern tyranny is terror management. When the terrorist attack comes, remember that authoritarians exploit such events in order to consolidate power. The sudden disaster…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/modern-tyranny-is-terror-management-when-the-terrorist-attack-comes/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Be calm when the unthinkable arrives. Modern tyranny is terror management. When the terrorist attack comes, remember that authoritarians exploit such events in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/be-calm-when-the-unthinkable-arrives-modern-tyranny-is-terror/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [Courage does not mean not fearing or not grieving. It does mean recognizing and resisting terror management right away, from the moment of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-d-snyder/courage-does-not-mean-not-fearing-or-not-grieving-it-does-mean/) [Timothy D. Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-d-snyder/) > [We should cooperate much more closely in fighting terrorism, which is a great challenge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/we-should-cooperate-much-more-closely-in-fighting-terrorism-which-is/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [I think that things were getting really very bad a couple of years ago, and there's been a very significant change in response to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/i-think-that-things-were-getting-really-very-bad-a-couple-of-years/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [Upholding human rights is not merely compatible with fighting terrorism, it is essential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joichi-ito/upholding-human-rights-is-not-merely-compatible-with-fighting/) [Joichi Ito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joichi-ito/) > [Ironically, the Canadian naval vessels, aircraft and personnel in the Persian Gulf I mentioned earlier who are fighting terrorism will provide more support indirectly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cellucci/ironically-the-canadian-naval-vessels-aircraft-and-personnel-in-the/) [Paul Cellucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cellucci/) > [Publicly, we're saying we're better at fighting terrorism. Privately, we know that the bureaucracy has only gotten worse, since the high-level people are scared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hunt/publicly-we-re-saying-we-re-better-at-fighting-terrorism-privately-we/) [David Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hunt/) > [Fighting terrorism is not unlike fighting a deadly cancer. It can't be treated just where it's visible - every diseased cell in the body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hackworth/fighting-terrorism-is-not-unlike-fighting-a-deadly-cancer-it-can-t-be/) [David Hackworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hackworth/) > [Israel, an embattled democracy, has been fighting terrorism for over 100 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-sharon/israel-an-embattled-democracy-has-been-fighting-terrorism-for-over/) [Ariel Sharon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-sharon/) > [When you talk about aiding this country against that country or about fighting terrorism, when you actually take that decision and strip it down,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-kaplan/when-you-talk-about-aiding-this-country-against-that-country-or-about/) [Robert D. Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-kaplan/) > [I know that New York City remains the highest density urban area in the country and by far dedicates more of its own funds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-serrano/i-know-that-new-york-city-remains-the-highest-density-urban-area-in/) [Jose Serrano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-serrano/) > [We need new partnerships in fighting terrorism and building peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-lindh/we-need-new-partnerships-in-fighting-terrorism-and-building-peace/) [Anna Lindh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-lindh/) > [And it is essential that in fighting terrorism, sacrifices should not be made on democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bulent-ecevit/and-it-is-essential-that-in-fighting-terrorism-sacrifices-should-not/) [Bulent Ecevit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bulent-ecevit/) ## More by Timothy Snyder > [“Nationalism is relativist, since the only truth is the resentment we feel when we contemplate others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/nationalism-is-relativist-since-the-only-truth-is-the-resentment-we/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“The time is out of joint. O cursed spite,/That ever I was born to set it right!” Thus Hamlet. Yet he concludes: “Nay, come,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-time-is-out-of-joint-o-cursed-spite-that-ever-i-was-born-to-set/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“the democracies that arose after the First World War (and the Second) often collapsed when a single party seized power in some combination of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-democracies-that-arose-after-the-first-world-war-and-the-second/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“salami tactics—slicing off layers of opposition one by one. Most people were distracted, some were imprisoned, and others were outmatched.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/salami-tactics-slicing-off-layers-of-opposition-one-by-one-most/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“We allowed ourselves to accept the politics of inevitability, the sense that history could move in only one direction: toward liberal democracy...We imbibed the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/we-allowed-ourselves-to-accept-the-politics-of-inevitability-the/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“The key to this translation of ideology to politics in both cases was an effective appeal to human experience at the crucial time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-key-to-this-translation-of-ideology-to-politics-in-both-cases-was/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Both of these positions, inevitability and eternity, are antihistorical. The only thing that stands between them is history itself. History allows us to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/both-of-these-positions-inevitability-and-eternity-are-antihistorical/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“The whole notion of disruption is adolescent: It assumes that after the teenagers make a mess, the adults will come and clean it up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-whole-notion-of-disruption-is-adolescent-it-assumes-that-after/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“As she observed, “the first essential step on the road to total domination is to kill the juridical person in man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/as-she-observed-the-first-essential-step-on-the-road-to-total/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“The first mode is the open hostility to verifiable reality, which takes the form of presenting inventions and lies as if they were facts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-first-mode-is-the-open-hostility-to-verifiable-reality-which/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Once we subliminally accept that we are watching a reality show rather than thinking about real life, no image can actually hurt the president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/once-we-subliminally-accept-that-we-are-watching-a-reality-show/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Confidence in duration is the antidote to panic and the tonic of demagogy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/confidence-in-duration-is-the-antidote-to-panic-and-the-tonic-of/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Be calm when the unthinkable arrives. Modern tyranny is terror management. When the terrorist attack comes, remember that authoritarians exploit such events in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/be-calm-when-the-unthinkable-arrives-modern-tyranny-is-terror/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Life is political, not because the world cares about how you feel, but because the world reacts to what you do. The minor choices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/life-is-political-not-because-the-world-cares-about-how-you-feel-but/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Extremism' certainly sounds bad, and governments often try to make it sound worse by using the word 'terrorism' in the same sentence. But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/extremism-certainly-sounds-bad-and-governments-often-try-to-make-it/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) [Explore all 339 Timothy Snyder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) ## More American people quotes > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-as-much-as-government-can-do-and-must-do-it-is-ultimately-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Given a choice between two bald political candidates, the American people will vote for the less bald of the two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-gold/given-a-choice-between-two-bald-political-candidates-the-american/) Victor Gold > [When the American people saw the LA riots and crowds of Blacks cheering O.J. Simpson (who was acquitted by the almost all Black jury),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duke/when-the-american-people-saw-the-la-riots-and-crowds-of-blacks/) [David Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duke/) > [In any event, it is one thing to assert, then or now, that the Iraq war was ill-advised. It is quite another to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-silberman/in-any-event-it-is-one-thing-to-assert-then-or-now-that-the-iraq-war/) [Laurence Silberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-silberman/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [I don't know a politician who enjoys fundraising. The system is such that the American people have lost faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-don-t-know-a-politician-who-enjoys-fundraising-the-system-is-such/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [Probably the greatest single obstacle to the progress and happiness of the American people lies in the willingness of so many men to invest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/probably-the-greatest-single-obstacle-to-the-progress-and-happiness/) [John D. 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