[June 14, 2016] Yesterday it was proposed that the world is serious about terrorism yet no country has taken decisive steps to really undermine the effectiveness of terror. Yes … terrorism works and is very effective. However, the lack of any coherent strategy to defeat the current wave of Islamic extremism is the primary reason used to justify the conclusion that the world, especially the West, has not been serious enough in combating the problem.
Historically, fighting terrorism has been a difficult task. Why? Because terrorists employ a variety of means to achieve their political goals and those means and goals morph over time. Fighting terrorism means a thorough understanding of the enemy; it is essential to defeat it. In this case, understanding Islamic extremism will be the key for the West to succeed and so far it has failed. We remain confused and uncertain about Islam.
The first step in the development of an effective strategy is to acknowledge and identify the problem. What everyone knows – but Western political leaders are afraid to admit – is that Islamic extremism is the problem and terrorism is their method of getting what they want. It means acknowledging that there is a war going on, accept it as a given, and that it will not go away on its own or because we are nice people.
The second step is to admit that the war on Islamic extremism will be long, brutal, and unpopular. Innocents will be killed by both terrorists but also by Western powers in the pursuit of defeating terrorists. In war you fight to win. Gathering as many allies as possible (Egypt should be one of our first) is essential but the U.S. should lead because of its military, political, and economic strengths. If a nation chooses not to be participating part of the allied effort, then they can expect nothing from the U.S.; including protection, trade, or assistance of any kind.
And third, it means going after all Islamic extremists wherever they are located. This is an offensive approach and is part of the specifics any good strategy will employ. As part of taking the fight to the enemy, an effective tactic will be cracking down on hate mosques, outlawing logging onto jihadists websites (like child pornography), aggressive cyber attacks, increasing intelligence activities, updating and modernizing the U.S. Sedition Act, telling the American people about the urgency to kill terrorists, and most importantly killing as many Islamic extremists as possible.
So far, the West has failed and is on a path to future failures. Only by reorienting and creating an effective strategy, including the dedication of resources, will the defeat of Islamic extremists be successful. Does the West have leaders with the will and courage to see such an effort through to its conclusion? Many doubt it. The U.S. certainly does not have the leadership at this point.
[Don’t forget to “Like” the Leader Maker at our Facebook Page.]