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The Real Enemy is Not Terror, It's an Ideology

(International Herald Tribune) David Brooks - After describing a widespread intelligence failure, the 9/11 commission has redefined the nature of America's predicament. Americans are not in the middle of a war on terror. Instead, we are in the midst of an ideological conflict. We are facing a loose confederation of people who believe in a perverted stream of Islam. Terrorism is just the means they use to win converts to their cause. It seems like a small distinction - emphasizing ideology instead of terror - but it makes all the difference, because if you don't define your problem correctly, you can't contemplate a strategy for victory. When you see that our enemies are primarily an intellectual movement, not a terrorist army, you see why they are in no hurry. With their extensive indoctrination infrastructure of madrasas and mosques, they're still building strength, laying the groundwork for decades of struggle. As an ideological movement rather than a national or military one, they can play by different rules. There is no territory they must protect. They never have to win a battle but can instead profit in the realm of public opinion from the glorious martyrdom entailed in their defeats. The 9/11 commission report argues that we have to use intelligence, military, financial, and diplomatic capacities to fight al-Qaeda. But the bigger fight is with a hostile belief system that can't be reasoned with but can only be "destroyed or utterly isolated."
2004-07-27 00:00:00
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