Al Qaeda has tried, and is trying, to obtain weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Al Qaeda's leadership has said so, and this intent is documented in materials obtained in Afghanistan and elsewhere. Like-minded groups and individuals inspired or informed by Al Qaeda, which also use terrorism as a tactic, are trying to do the same. States such as Iran and North Korea are also in the nuclear arms hunt. Iran's present weapons capacity is uncertain; its intention to obtain nuclear status and its link to a global terrorist network are not. North Korea's status as a nuclear state is certain; its stability and longevity are uncertain.

The jihadists' tactical objectives likely include the physical destruction of New York City and Washington, D.C., and, in the interim, the conduct of symbolic and mass casualty events. For those actors who are not just expressing anger or despair, their strategic objectives likely include the diminution of democracy as a symbol of transitional hope in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa as well as the diminution of American cultural influence in the Islamic world.

With nuclear weapons as the backdrop, this contest is potentially about the survival of the state, as we know it today, its core security and values. The United States has fought for its survival and soul before, in 1812 and during the Civil War, for example. But this conflict is different. Indeed, it is not a conflict so much as it is a threat.