From this analysis it can be discerned that the McCarthyism of the twenty-first century isn’t the product of just one individual: it is the collective effort of right-wingers in the academy, the think-tank milieu, the political sphere, and the security establishment. But the green scare, just like its twentieth-century counterpart, is supported and endorsed by liberals in every sphere who share with conservatives a common commitment to US imperialism. It is, however, worth noting that Islamophobia is less potent as an agent of fear than its red counterpart. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union was indisputably a powerful nuclear armed threat to the United States. The same cannot be said of radical Islamist groups, as even members of the security establishment freely admit. The “green scare” can be effective only up to a point; it must constantly be rehashed in public memory through media spectacles in order to keep the fear alive. Both conservatives and liberals participate in these efforts.

XREF: Connects to historical red scare literature on Cold War domestic politics and how manufactured fear operates.

Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politi…, loc. 573