Fear, Incorporated: Who's Paying for all that Islamophobic Paranoia (FP)

EXCERPT: One of the distinctive features of American democracy is the permeability of our political institutions. It's an incredibly wide-open system, given First AmendmentThis Amendment prohibits the government from making laws that establish religion or prohibit free exercise of religion, infringe the freedom of speech, infringe the freedom of the press, limit the right to assemble peaceably, or limit the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances. freedoms, the flood of money that corrupts the electoral process, and a wide array of media organizations and political journals that can be used to disseminate and amplify various views, even when they have no basis in fact.

This situation allows small groups of people to have a profound impact on public attitudes and policy discourse, provided that they are well-organized, well-funded, and stay on message.

— Stephen M. Walt

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