# As Terrorism Evolves the Tools That Defend Against It Must Adapt by Scott Bessent > "As the threat of terrorism evolves, the institution[al] tools that defend against it must adapt. We once understood terrorism principally as an external menace. That is no longer the world we inhabit. Increasingly, we are confronting sophisticated, organized networks across borders to incite violence within them." > **— Scott Bessent**, *Ministerial on the Resurgence of Political Terrorism, July 16, 2026* ## Sources and Context - **Source dossier:** [[research/Ministerial on the Resurgence of Political Terrorism|Ministerial on the Resurgence of Political Terrorism]]. - **Direct publication or recording:** [direct transcript](https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesman/2026/07/remarks-at-the-opening-of-the-ministerial-on-the-resurgence-of-political-terrorism/). - **Editorial form:** The readable quotation retains visible brackets and/or an ellipsis for source-supported clarification or omission. The candidate map below records the exact treatment. - **Context and treatment:** Bessent identifies an evolving threat, adaptive institutions as the response, cross-border networks as the mechanism, and internally incited violence as the consequence. The bracket visibly repairs the official transcript's evident "institution tools" error; removing it restores the published wording; [direct transcript](https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesman/2026/07/remarks-at-the-opening-of-the-ministerial-on-the-resurgence-of-political-terrorism/), Bessent remarks. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and the Intelligence Environment|Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and the Intelligence Environment]] - **Collection:** [[collections/American|American Culture Collection]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Coming Market for Civilian Spycraft|The Coming Market for Civilian Spycraft]] - **Article:** [[articles/Reframing Antisemitism as a National Security Threat|Reframing Antisemitism as a National Security Threat]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Scott Bessent|Scott Bessent]] - [[wiki/Counterterrorism|Counterterrorism]] - [[wiki/Ministerial on the Resurgence of Political Terrorism|Ministerial on the Resurgence of Political Terrorism]] ## Share on Social Media ``` "As the threat of terrorism evolves, the institution[al] tools that defend against it must adapt. We once understood terrorism principally as an external menace. That is no longer the world we inhabit. Increasingly, we are confronting sophisticated, organized networks across borders to incite violence within them." — Scott Bessent, Ministerial on the Resurgence of Political Terrorism, July 16, 2026 https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-scott-bessent-as-terrorism-evolves-the-tools-that-defend-against-it-must-adapt ```