The first decade of the 21st century was marked by a surge in global attention to terrorism. Small terrorist groups, with as few as three hundred active members, have been able to inflict enormous amounts of damage on regional, national, and international scales.

In a panel discussion on the Diane Rehm Show, Jessica Mathews examined the challenges of international terrorism. Explaining that the roots of terrorism cannot be boiled down to merely the issue of poverty, she argued that instead, more attention must be paid to the role of bad governance and corruption which fuels a sense of injustice and anger that finds its outlet in extremism.

Mathews cautioned against drawing too close of a comparison between the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for lessons in combating terrorism. The topography of Iraq and the primarily urban nature of al-Qaeda’s presence there, coupled with a local backlash against al-Qaeda, created a situation that was more favorable for international forces than the situation in Afghanistan.

She also explained that while the situation in Yemen is deteriorating and deserves attention, the greatest concern was the situation in the nuclear-state of Pakistan. “As terrible as the Yemen situation is, if you put it up against Pakistan, that’s where we ought to be focusing our attention,” she said. Preventing terrorists from gaining access to a nuclear weapon has to be the chief concern of antiterrorist forces. The best ways to achieve that goal include preventing terrorists from maintaining a foothold in Pakistan and then taking the long and difficult measures necessary to strengthen the world’s nonproliferation system.

“I think there are historical tidal waves that pass over us, and terrorism is one of them,” she said. “It is the curse of the times in which we live and it will continue to be for many, many years.”