America’s strength is frayed. Our enemies mock us, and no longer fear us—our Founding fathers are rolling in their graves. Attacks on the U.S. are strategic, so don’t kid yourself. This is blatant, as the country is averaging at least one terrorist attack a year under the Obama administration.

Call it radical Islam, call it what you will; there is a war being waged against Americans and democracy as we know it. Citizens of the U.S. have heard nothing of the kind from President Barack Obama, who insisted that radical Islam is overblown, and not a threat. He embraced this narrative when visiting Cairo in 2009 and apologized for America’s war on Islam. America is seen as weak on the international stage. “We must realize the true nature of our enemies who stand against us and proclaim the shared values that have made America so exceptional all along,” Jay Sekulow explained in the book Unholy Alliance. The problem is more than with terrorism--the U.S. needs to stand watch for other countries looking to take command on the world stage. This potentially could be catastrophic to America as her reputation as a strong nation is waning.

If proof is needed of the increased terrorism, we have only to look at the ever-growing list of attacks since 2001. Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik San entered a government building in Bernardino County and opened fire on employees during a Christmas party in 2015. Two brothers from Chechnya bombed the Boston Marathon in 2013 that wounded over 200 people. The U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya was attacked by al Qaeda, killing U.S. Ambassador John "Chris" Stevens, and three others. The President of Syria Bashar al-Assad criticized the U.S. for not being serious in its war against terrorists."The reality is telling that, since the beginning of the American airstrikes, the terrorism has been expanding and prevailing," Assad explained to NBC News. "It only shrunk when the Russians intervened.”

Sekulow has examined the actions of leaders in the Middle East, Syria, and Russia who seem to be combining resources and powers to destroy America. These countries historically despise democracy, and appear to be actively working to destabilize the world and seize power. While studying world events at the University of Oxford as a lecturer and a participant, it became quite clear to Sekulow that there was a developing alliance between Russia and Iran, where traditionally there have not been strong ties. Yet, they have one common goal, and that was to prop up Syria. “They have different reasons for the alliance. The Russians want to be a major leader in the region, and they are returning to the Soviet era approach to geopolitics. The Iranians want to do whatever they can to export their version of the Islamic revolution.” The goals are different, but they are working together to boister Assad, since he is key to both agendas. To add to the above reasons, Russia is in pursuit of a warm water port in Syria, and Iran wants to expand radical Islam in Syria.

Absent power in the region by the U.S. interests concerned Sekulow. Without power you can’t arbitrate. “We are projecting no power,” said Sekulow, who is also the Chief Council of the American Center for Law and Justice. “We created the vacuum in the Middle East that caused the rise of ISIS and Russian dominance. They are a player in the region and have a world dominance view." The lack of presence by the U.S. encouraged the Iranians, who continue to mock American democracy and the U.S. government as a whole. The Iranian deal with the U.S. this year lifted sanctions against Iran, effectively sending millions of dollars of tax payer’s money back to Iran so they can continue the efforts of funding terrorists. Iran scorns democracy, instead supporting a government which oppresses citizens of Iran. Hence the common opinion within the United States that the Obama administration approval to forgo sanctions against Iran is yet another nail in the coffin of American democracy.

What will be the key for us to get out of the hole that we are in? There are several factors Sekulow pointed out. The new president needs to project real strength, and if he or she can back it up, Russia and Iran will react. Sanctions still can be imposed on the Iranians, the “cat is out of the bag, but you can get it back in,” he encouraged. “We must win this, we don’t have an option. We can’t lose this battle. If we do lose this battle the ramifications are very damaging.” The lack of discernment regarding U.S. borders is another point of contention for Sekulow. He hones in on the unsurprising attack in New York City and New Jersey that was averted on Sept. 19. “I think the FBI failed us here to be quite blunt. I think the paradigm is upside-down against terrorism and that there is a foreign component. It is not terrorism, it is domestic—we need to turn that paradigm upside-down. That would get our priories right.” Occurring the same weekend as the averted attack in New York City, authorities rushed to a Minnesota mall, where a random knife attack took place. Neither the New York City or Minnesota mall attacks were considered terrorist related by the White House.

The American people are resilient. We take a hit and we come back swinging. As a direct result to the events of recent years, however, we have become somewhat desensitized to the horrors relayed by the media and even by the events themselves. Sadly, we now consider these terrorist acts somewhat commonplace--the new normal. When we do this, we lose the war. The truth is, any attack on the U.S. where there are casualties in an act of war. We need to respond not as a police action, but as an act of war Sekulow concluded. “It’s not that police do not have a role. The jihadists do things intergenerationally. In the United States we don’t. We have to start understanding their mindsets.”

The election is just weeks away, and is pivotal. This is not a problem because there is a vacancy in the Supreme Court; there is an intensely difficult domestic situation and an international one that is explosive. “We are at a critical point and at a critical cross-road, and we need to know the nature of who we are fighting,” said Sekulow. America is at a critical time in history. If we continue going in the current direction, we will no longer be a superpower and will undoubtedly pass on a less-than-ideal country to future generations.