"The dragons are back": British MI5 chief says danger is greater today than on 9/11

The British MI5 chief warned that the current danger is greater than on September 11, 2001, using the metaphor "the dragons are back." This expression was originally used by former CIA director James Woolsey after the end of the Cold War. At the time, Woolsey argued that the West had defeated a great "dragon," the Soviet Union, but remained surrounded by "snakes" — smaller, dispersed threats that are difficult to anticipate. Now, according to the British official, the dragons have returned, representing a danger significantly greater than what existed after the September 11 attacks.