Throughout history, those who contributed to the collapse of destructive ideologies have earned an enduring place in the historical record. On the global stage, the names of those who confronted Nazism, Fascism, Apartheid, Stalinism, Maoism, Communism, and radical extremism became synonymous with moral and political courage. At the national level, countless individuals who fought dictatorship, totalitarianism, violence, and absolutism have likewise become permanent figures in their countries’ political cultures.

After the September 11 attacks, the United States launched the War on Terror in 2001 and identified the “Axis of Evil,” placing the Islamic Republic of Iran at its center. America spent trillions of dollars and sacrificed thousands of its soldiers. Yet the roots of Islamist terrorism were never eradicated. In practice, Afghanistan and Iraq gradually fell under the........

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