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While details trickle in on the troubling and tragic events involving our diplomatic missions in Cairo and Benghazi on Tuesday, one thing is certain: America remains in the cross-hairs of violent Islamist extremists.

So much for the liberalizing effects of the Arab Spring.

Unfortunately, some of the Islamist forces (including, potentially, terror groups) that were released by the fall of Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak and Libya’s Moammar Gadhafi are seemingly turning on us.

It’s also likely that these attacks were staged on Sept. 11 for a reason. While not certain, the offensive film cited by the attackers may have only been a pretext for the assaults on the Cairo embassy and Benghazi consulate.

Holding the...