Winning the UN War: Strategy for the War on Terrorism

Abstract

The war on terrorism is a different kind of war that requires a different strategic approach. The enemy is not a generic evil or even terrorism itself, but the al Qaeda terrorist network and the radical Islamist ideology it is fueling. A winning strategy would consist of three central elements, in ascending order of importance: homeland security against future terrorist attacks, dismantling and degrading the al Qaeda terrorist network, and a foreign policy that does not needlessly create new terrorists. Ultimately, changing U.S. foreign policy to stem the tide of growing anti-American sentiment overseas is the most important element because we cannot build a perfect defense against every potential terrorist attack and we cannot kill each and every al Qaeda terrorist. Although changing U.S. foreign policy may not guarantee victory in the war on terrorism, not changing it will spell certain defeat.