How to cope with global jihad
The conflicts in
Iraq, Lebanon, and Afghanistan and the global Islamist insurgency have
revealed that Western democracies and their political and military
leaders do not fully comprehend the multifaceted threats represented by
radical Muslim nonstate actors. In this, they violate the most famous
dictum of Sun Tzu, the Chinese strategic genius of2,500 years ago: “If you know yourself and understand your opponent you will never put your victory in jeopardy in any conflict.”
The broad support that al Qaeda jihadis and radical Islamist militias
such as Hamas and Hezbollah enjoy in the Muslim world and in the global
Muslim diaspora, as well as among non-Muslim anti-American political
forces around the world demonstrates that describing the global Islamic
insurgency as a fringe or minority phenomenon is unrealistic and
self-defeating. Since 9/11, democracies
have fought three wars against nonstate Islamist actors. The West needs
to draw important lessons from Iraq, Afghanistan, and the clash between
Israel and Hezbollah to address these strategic deficits. Lack of
clarity in defining the enemy and delays in formulating political and
information strategy severely endanger U.S. national interests and the
security of the West.
