Acts of terrorism, whether genuine or engineered rarely exist in isolation. In the modern world, nearly every significant act of political violence is connected to an underlying ideology and, often, a nation-state seeking influence. Understanding terrorism requires tracing these ideological and geopolitical linkages rather than examining each incident as a standalone event.
Two Paths to Empire
History shows two broad patterns in how empires rise and fall:
- Internal consolidation first, external projection later
- Immediate outward expansion with limited internal foundations
1. Empires Built on Internal Strength
These empires prioritize cohesion, reform, and ideological grounding before projecting external power.
United States
The U.S. strengthened itself internally through the Constitution, the Civil War, and successive amendments. For much of its early history, it remained largely non-interventionist and did not seek foreign entanglements until the Second World War. After emerging powerful from WWII, American global influence peaked mid-20th century but gradually eroded through prolonged interventions framed as “spreading democracy.”
The MAGA movement is bigger then Donald Trump and the ideology is based on taking America back to being “Non-Interventionist” and to strengthen itself internally because America is poor, broken and destitute.
Russia / Soviet Union
Russia historically consolidated power under the czars and maintained an inward posture except for conflicts with the Ottoman Empire. WWII forced massive military engagement and immense loss.
In the WWII, it was sucked into a war with the Germans and enormous bloodshed followed. Following the bloodbath, it broke the bond with its ideological foundation (i.e. Orthodox Christianity) and tried to compete during the Cold war but it was only a matter before it collapsed.
It was exhausted, it was broke and couldn’t feed itself so the society went back to its ideological foundation (i.e. Orthodox Christianity) and began to rebuild itself internally. The world kept on pushing it and pushing until it had no choice but to intervene externally for its own survival (Georgia, Crimea, Ukraine), it knows that it is not strong enough but fights for its survival.
China
For thousands of years have done nothing but worked internally and do not intervene or care about the outside world, in fact it built a huge wall about themselves. 35 of the 37 dynasties of China have strengthened that wall as a testament to their “Non-Interventionist” and remains so to this day.
Modern Chinese dreams of “Taiwan” are not to intervene or militarily but to take back what is part of theirs.
The Chinese dreams in “Ladakh” and “Himachal Pradesh” are also to take back areas which are rightfully theirs, the Chinese have no desires to take “Bangalore” or “Chennai” etc.
Islam as an Ideological Empire
This is a strange case which is misunderstood, misread and misresearched by its followers and its enemies.
The core is its “expansionist ideology” but its expansionism is not based on land but upon heart and its ideology quickly captures hearts and minds like no other. The speed at which it spreads and the “absorbed natives” willingly and willfully get subsumed into it is astonishing. One day, the bond hair blue eyed “John” is demonstrating against it in person, in mainstream and social media and within 2 weeks “John” is working on his Tajweed and everybody around him accepts him as one of their own without being suspicious.
The physical start of “Islamic empire” also started with Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) strengthening Madina internally and then venturing out and projecting power outwards. The orientalists and (traditional) Muslims both try to portray Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) as someone who was weak and circumstances forced him to “flee” Makkah and having no choice migrated to Madina, when nothing can be further from the truth! For 90% of its history until 1924 physical “Islamic empire” remained supreme and even when its physicality was damaged, its ideology remains to grow, prosper and conquer unimpeded.
We see this as completely at odds with any other empire of the world, NO EMPIRE grows ideologically when its physical power is diminished.
Let’s now look at the second approach is that empires focus on the outside world and physical expansionism
2. Empires Built on External Expansion
Some empires prioritize conquest over internal cohesion.
Mongols
Their empire expanded with unprecedented speed but lacked durable ideological or institutional foundations. When military power faded, the empire dissolved and left little lasting ideological identity.
United Kingdom
Britain’s imperial success relied on naval power and global extraction rather than deep internal cohesion or a unifying ideology. Huge amounts of money flows inwards along with talent and minds from all over the world who make it a huge player at the world stage but there is no central ideology behind this consolidation. Today, it is a broken country with broken cities, broken treasury and no working systems.
Germany
A great nation which was suffering financially and bleeding internally until a Fascist fanatic comes along and wants to “Make Germany Great Again” using an expansionist ideology instead of focusing inwards. When it was hit back militarily, there was nothing ideologically to fall back on! It ran out of “White Humans” to feed into the meat grinder and its ideology prevented “Non-White Humans” from being absorbed and fighting for it.
Today, it is a shallow broken entity with a movement to take it back to its fascistic roots of “White Supremacy” and to focus inwards.
Indians Subcontinent and Modern India
Never been a united contiguous geography in its entire history with two exceptions. It was never combined below Vindhya range except on three occasions:
- Ashoka’s Mauryan Empire: Combined it as a geography (232-268 BC) under Hinduism
- Muslim dynasties via military force: Combined it due to sheer military brute force but never tried to introduce Islam so there was no ideology but just brute force and when the brute force weakened, the Islamic rule disintegrated because it had no foundation and was never even introduced to the masses.
- The British Empire: Took it as a geographically entity from the Muslims and handed “Modern India” to Hindus
Historically, India lacked a single cohesive ideological structure comparable to Islam or Christianity. Hinduism—diverse, decentralized, and philosophically fluid—did not function as a political ideology capable of unifying hundreds of ethnic, linguistic, and regional identities.
Hinduism was never a set ideology, principle or dogma which was solid enough to join masses and convalesce around it like (Islam or Christianity). It also has no set of foundational beliefs (like Tawheed or even Trinity) to hang belief upon.
On top of it, the earlier rulers of Modern India went out of their way to preach Secularism and undermine Hinduism and for 50+ years it hammered away and “hampered Hinduism” through Indian penal code and constitution and it was taught to the masses that “Hinduism unlike Islam” is fluid and progressive unlike Islam which is regressive, unflinching and uncompromising.
Modern India is a poor nation with extreme poverty but it also has a minority which are filthy rich which project a vision of India overseas which is nothing but a mirage.
During the past 25+ years, the ruling has been taken over by religious bigots and zealots who clearly realize the internal problems but not just unwilling but also unable to do any meaningful reforms because there is no ideology to coalesce around.
The Indian masses have been given a “lecture on Secular India” for so long and Indians are ethnically, linguistically, and religiously so diverse that it is not possible to hoist “Hinduism” upon them.
This leaves the RSS and BJP no choice but to intervene externally and project their external projects internally to win political support to then enforce a system of Governance upon Indians which is TOTAL and it requires TOTAL CONTROL of Media and Politics both.
A large number of Indians may not accept Hinduism but they can be sold on the dream of “Pakistan” having broken away from India, a failed state which continues to incite Terror and insatiability inside India which is the main reason for the lack of progress for Indians.
China with a similar population has left India in the dust but it is “Pakistan” which is the reason why the lives of ordinary Indians is poor and miserable. The common Indians are also sold on the cool aid that India is so technologically superior that it can bring Pakistan to its knees.
Operation Sindoor (May 2025) was a disaster for India and the brute hammering received at the hands of Pakistan was an utter failure of its foreign policy and machinations.
There is no substitute for “hard power” and India learned it the “hard way” and it is obligatory for India to gain some respect.
It is not possible for India to conventionally invade Pakistan at this time, that will come in the future.
As history tells us that this will not work and India will also collapse because there is no internal ideology and unlike other previous Empires it is not strong enough to win externally, no doubt that India is a a militarily powerful and it will cause damage.
For now, India will start an operation which is bigger then Sindoor and hope to contain Pakistan. “Deoband” has been an integral part of Indian doctrine since mid-1970s and to use it against Pakistan and they have been successful in engaging with Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada.
The Taliban 2.0 suicide bombing strategy has now been personally taken over by Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada and various Jihadi organizations within Afghanistan have been asked to send their suicide bombers to Kandahar and around 700 have arrived, 140+ have been found suited for the task.
The money, planning and investment made into “Deoband” for decades has resulted in a large number of Deobandees unable to accept this as a reality. The “Takfeeri Deobandi” movement was also not acknowledged despite plenty of evidence and all blame was placed on Pervaiz Musharraf who invaded Lal Masjid (Jamia Hafsa).
This was a massive mistake and a huge error by Pakistan Army which continues to fume the “Deobandees” to this day and reason for the rage against Pakistan Army to this day.
However, when the children were bombed in APS Peshawar in 2014 it changed the nation (of Pakistan) because it could no longer look away from dismembered bodies of small children. The “Deobandees of Pakistan” had an awakening and lifeless, listless, limbless bodies of children could no longer be ignored.
Back then, “Deobandees” could not come to the realization that:
- Parvaiz Musharraf and Pakistan Army is wrong
- “Takfeeri Deobandism” is also wrong.
Today, the “Deobandees” could not come to the realization that:
- General Asim Munir and Pakistan Army is wrong
- Taliban 2.0 are oppressing population in “Afghanistan” and sold Kashmiri Muslims to Indians.
That realization will come.
