Our Leaders Are Terrorists- And We Are Their Victims

By Antonio Ancaya

Opinion

(Pictured above are the G7 World Leaders. Image Source: Council on Foreign Relations)

Terrorism is a term we hear constantly, yet rarely do people take the time to define what it truly means. At its core, terrorism is the use of violence, or the threat of violence, to instill fear and achieve political objectives. Terrorists commit random acts of violence that incite fear, forcing the population to comply with their demands. This dynamic of fear and submission is what drives terrorism.

But who are the real terrorists today? Surprisingly, they might not be who we think. Our leaders in Western democracies have mastered this same technique—using fear to control the masses and consolidate power. Through a climate of constant fear, they steer people in the direction they want, manipulating us under the guise of protecting us from threats. Instead of quelling the sources of fear, they amplify them, tightening their grip on power in the process.

Consider censorship as one example of this modern terrorism. Former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, under the Biden-Harris administration, openly suggested that if someone is banned from one platform for their views, they should be banned from all platforms. This kind of censorship creates a chilling effect, making people afraid to speak their minds. Over the past few years, individuals have become terrified of expressing the "wrong" opinion. Simply questioning the efficacy of vaccines, challenging the data of "experts," or pointing out corruption can lead to being silenced and ostracized—not for being offensive, but for daring to speak reality.

This is the hallmark of totalitarian regimes. Fear becomes a tool of control, much like in Communist China under Xi Jinping’s administration. Totalitarian governments use fear to keep the populace in line, and Western leaders are now adopting the same tactics. From the fear of pandemics and censorship to the threat of job loss and "cancel culture," these mechanisms are employed to keep us in a state of terror. Our democratically elected leaders have learned how to bypass the democratic process through fear, gaining unchecked power.

So, what can we do about it? The answer is simple: resist the fear. Stand up for your fellow citizens when their rights are under attack. We must collectively say, "No, we will not allow lives to be destroyed for expressing an opinion." Recognize our leaders for what they are—modern-day terrorists, exploiting fear to increase their power while claiming it's for "safety" and "security." In their minds, anyone who disagrees is the enemy.

In this climate, fear has been elevated to a virtue. But how can fear, an emotion that paralyzes and diminishes us, possibly be considered virtuous? Traditionally, virtues are qualities like courage, determination, and intelligence. Fear should never be one of them, yet society increasingly celebrates it. COVID-19 heightened this phenomenon. Suddenly, being hypervigilant, or even hypochondriac, was not only accepted but praised. People fixated on masks and safety measures while ignoring preventive care like healthy eating, exercise, and mental health.

Fear became the new virtue during the pandemic, a dangerous shift that pushed us into hysteria. But living in fear isn’t sustainable. The world is dangerous, yes, but how we face that danger is what matters. If we allow fear to dominate our lives, it will also dominate our freedom, letting our leaders rule unchecked. Fear limits us, preventing us from living the life we want, and it’s happening now on a society-wide level. The elevation of fear drives people to make terrible decisions, ones that erode the very freedoms Western democracies were built upon—freedom of speech, thought, and assembly.

As fear continues to dominate our collective psyche, we need to ask ourselves: how much further will this go? What will we lose next in the name of safety? We've reached the point where simply expressing an unpopular thought can be grounds for censorship. It’s time to wake up. The damage done to individuals and society is immense, and the longer we remain in this state of fear, the more catastrophic the consequences will be.

The real terrorists, however, don’t wear hoods or carry guns. They wear expensive suits, sit in offices of power, and pretend to act in your best interest. They manipulate the masses with a constant stream of fear, securing more control for themselves. 

Do not fall prey to this fear and understand that the terrorists are not in Iraq or Afghanistan, they are the leadership of the Western Democracies.