Here’s a turn of phrase I picked up during the 2000 presidential election and its catastrophic aftermath.

cause célèbre (cause cé·lè·bre): / KAWZ suh LEB ruh / (always italicized)
noun

(1) a provocative legal case or controversy that incites widespread interest
(2) a notorious person, thing, event, or incident

[From French cause célèbre meaning “celebrated cause.”]

Usage: The war in Iraq has become a cause célèbre for Islamic extremists around the globe.