Is Our Fear of al Qaeda More Damaging than al Qaeda Itself?

Since September 11, the US has engaged in two wars, killed innocent civilians with unmanned drones and conducted massive, secret surveillance at home and abroad. Three disclosures in the past week show how "sweeping government efforts to stop attacks are backfiring abroad and infringing on basic rights at home." David Rohde, columnist for Reuters and the Atlantic, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner and author of Beyond War: Reimagining American Influence in a New Middle East, says the US is "losing its way in the struggle against terrorism."