本月早些时候，许多人停下来反思与2023年10月7日袭击事件相关的暴行，当时大约有1200人被杀害，超过240人被劫持。一方称哈马斯为恐怖组织；另一方则指责以色列因对这次袭击的回应而犯有种族灭绝罪。无论你站在哪一方，都无法否认的是，以色列和加沙的无辜男性、女性和儿童都被杀害了。暂且不论这场永无止境且日益激烈的争论，我认为审视袭击前几个月的情况对美国的国家和经济安全至关重要，这能让我们看到一个不断演变的威胁。
Earlier this month, many paused to reflect upon the atrocities related to the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, wherein about 1,200 people were killed and more than 240 were taken hostage. One side calls Hamas a terrorist organization; the other accuses Israel of genocide for its response to this attack. Regardless of which side you are on, it cannot be denied that innocent men, women and children have been killed in both Israel and Gaza. Leaving the never-ending and increasingly acrimonious debate aside, I believe it is critically important to the national and economic security of the U.S. that we examine the months leading up to the attacks, giving us a window into an ever-evolving threat.
2023年10月7日之前，我联系了政治和军事领域的多位人士，提出了一个基本问题：“您是否担心，以色列街头日益增加的党派性政治抗议正成为一种全方位的干扰，导致掌权者将注意力从国家安全大局上移开？”正如伦敦政治经济学院所概述的，“在10月7日恐怖袭击发生前的九个月里，以色列人成群结队地走上街头，每周有6万至40万人抗议内塔尼亚胡政府的司法改革。”
Prior to Oct. 7, 2023, I reached out to a number of contacts in the political and military space with one basic question: “Do you fear that the increasing partisan, political protests taking place on the streets of Israel are serving as an all-consuming distraction which is causing the powers that be to take their eyes off the national security ball?”As outlined by the London School of Economics and Political Science, “For nine months before the October 7 terrorist attack, Israelis took to the streets in their masses, with between 60,000 to 400,000 protesting weekly against the Netanyahu government’s judicial overhaul.”
尽管许多大规模抗议活动是非暴力的，但警方的反应却十分强硬，动用了闪光弹、水炮以及一种被称为“臭鼬液”的液体——这是以色列当局用于人群控制的一种恶臭物质。不幸的是，在极端党派主义、仇恨、身份政治和社交媒体盛行的时代，这种破坏性抗议已经变得司空见惯，无论是在以色列还是在美国。我一直强调，“人性”应该被纳入每一个方程式之中。人类有偏见和缺陷，并且可能被灌输和操纵。人类的偏见是正常的。
Though many of the massive protests were nonviolent, the police response was strong, involving stun grenades, water cannons and “a liquid known as ‘the skunk,’ a foul-smelling substance used by Israeli authorities for crowd control.”Unfortunately, in the age of hyperpartisanship, hate and identity politics and social media, such destructive protests have become altogether too common, be they in Israel or the U.S. I have long stressed that “human nature” should be inserted into every single equation. Human beings have biases and flaws, and can be indoctrinated and manipulated. Human bias is normal.
但在某个时刻，在某些职业中，无论是在美国企业界、联邦政府、军队还是学术界，这种偏见必须为国家的更大利益而受到控制。无论是在美国这里，深陷“特朗普时代”，还是在以色列，在本雅明·内塔尼亚胡的旗帜下，崇拜或仇恨的情绪似乎总是处于刀锋之上。要么你完全同意领导层，要么你就会转变为该运动的“敌人”。
But at a certain point, and in certain careers, be they in corporate America, the federal government, the military or academia, such bias must be controlled for the greater good of the nation. Whether it’s here in America, deep in the “Age of Trump,” or in Israel, under the banner of Benjamin Netanyahu, emotions of adoration or hate were always seemingly on the razor’s edge. Either you totally agreed with leadership or you morphed into an “enemy” of the movement.
但对领导者、意识形态或身份的忠诚何时会成为对国家安全和人民安全的威胁？举一个例子，当Turning Point USA创始人查理·柯克在2025年被暗杀时，美国“专业”阶层实际上有成千上万条帖子，要么为他的谋杀辩护，要么更糟的是，为其欢呼。这些帖子来自大学教授、医生、飞行员和管理人员，仅举几例。但最令人震惊的是，来自美国军队成员的帖子，他们因意识形态原因庆祝对一名同胞的屠杀。
But when does loyalty to a leader, an ideology or an identity become detrimental to the security of a nation and the safety of its people? As but one example, when Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated in 2025, there were literally thousands of posts from the “professional” class in the U.S. either rationalizing his murder or, worse, cheerleading it. These posts were from college professors, doctors, pilots, and administrators, just to name a few. But most alarming of all were the posts coming from members of the U.S. military celebrating the slaughter of a fellow human being for ideological reasons.
虽然这并不令人意外，但哈佛大学的民调等发现，39%的年轻美国人认为在某些情况下政治暴力是可以接受的。同样令人不安的是，Politico-Public First的调查显示，超过三分之一的45岁以下美国人认为在某些情况下政治暴力可以被证明是正当的。总体而言，数百万年轻美国人可能认为，现在因政治、意识形态或身份政治的差异而杀害公众人物是可以接受的。
Sadly, though not surprisingly, polls such as from Harvard University found that 39 percent of young Americans believe political violence is acceptable under certain circumstances. Equally disturbing was a Politico-Public First survey that revealed more than one-third of Americans under age 45 believe political violence can be justified in certain cases. Collectively, millions of young Americans may believe it’s now acceptable to kill a public figure because of political, ideological or identity politics differences.
他们不再通过选举箱击败对手，或通过更有说服力的论点的优点来战胜对手，而是显然认为处决一名同胞美国人——无论是父亲、母亲、兄弟或姐妹——是正当的。我们的国家是如何堕落到这种地步的？我们的军队和三字母机构只有一项庄严的职责：保护美国及其人民。
Rather than defeat them at the ballot box, or via the merits of a more convincing argument, some now apparently think executing a fellow American — a father, mother, brother or sister — is justified. How did our nation reach this level of depravity? Our military and our three-letter-agencies have but one solemn duty: the protection of the U.S. and its people.
他们的忠诚不能也不能只归于某个人、某个政党、某种信仰或某种身份。他们不能成为偏见、洗脑、错误信息或不受约束的自我的牺牲品。随着仇恨被放大，干扰增多，抗议活动演变为暴力，我们军队和政府中真正爱国的年轻男女必须完成一件几乎超乎常人的事情：他们必须为国家和人民的更大利益克服自身偏见。如果他们做不到，一切最终都将失去。道格拉斯·麦金农是前白宫和五角大楼官员。
Their allegiance cannot and must not be to one individual, one party, faith or identity. They cannot fall victim to bias, indoctrination, misinformation or unchecked egos. As hate is amplified, as distractions grow and as protests turn violent, the truly patriotic young men and women in our military and our government must accomplish something almost superhuman: they must overcome their biases for the greater good of our nation and our people. If they cannot, all will eventually be lost. Douglas MacKinnon is a former White House and Pentagon official.