ABSTRACT
The boast was a figure of speech that seems to have been absent for the most part from modern American politics. The belief in the benefits of being an immigrant nation, the idea that a wealthy country such as the United States has a responsibility to help poorer nations and the concept of the nation as a leader on the world stage have all fallen under the Trump onslaught of xenophobic braggadocio. Western nations, whose resistance movements are long past, have made the mistake of assuming that they are dependent upon significant individuals. Therefore, their approach to countering violent extremism is based upon the belief that toppling charismatic leaders will naturally destroy the defiance of their supporters. Beyond the dangers of becoming what one had convinced one's own supporters to detest, there are other inherent dangers in store for those resistors who want to stay in their positions and who are not attentive to the lessons of history.
