History shows that men trained in covert movement, armed logistics, intimidation, and criminal coordination rarely retire when their networks collapse. Some may reintegrate into society, but many — dispossessed, angry, and stripped of status — may evolve into more violent, unpredictable actors.
A displaced criminal workforce of 172,000 individuals, skilled in violence and trafficking, represents a potential flashpoint for domestic terrorism far greater than the maritime vessels destroyed abroad. Without rehabilitation, education, economic inclusion, and cultural transformation, enforcement alone may ignite a domestic insurgency that grows silently inside American borders.
Meanwhile, abroad, the preventive doctrine continues generating diplomatic and strategic losses. Israel’s long-term reliance on pre-emptive strikes has led to unprecedented isolation from Europe, legal indictments, suspended arms transfers, and deep economic damage. Its military strength remains intact, but its global legitimacy has deteriorated.
The United States is experiencing similar erosion. At the United Nations, America increasingly stands alone defending actions viewed internationally as violations of sovereignty. Allies abstain rather than stand with Washington. Latin American anger intensifies as US forces strike vessels and aircraft in waters they consider their own.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
The writer is a former Press Secretary to the President, An ex-Press Minister at Embassy of Pakistan to France, a former MD, SRBC Macomb, Detroit, Michigan