Muslims radicalized by War on Terror

Dallas Blog | Tom Pauken:

“The London Times reports today that the 'War on Terror has radicalized Muslims around the world to unprecedented levels of anti-American feeling, according to the largest survey of Muslims ever to be conducted'. ... Perhaps, now is a good time to re-think our overall strategy in the West of how to effectively address this global challenge of a resurgent Islamic radicalism.”

Ed Cognoski responds:

What will victory in the War on Terror look like?

In President Bush's most idealistic dreams, it is Western, liberal democracy spread wide across the world, with stable governments securing their own territory, respecting fundamental human liberties, answering to their people, and allied with America in the defeat of forces opposed to freedom and liberty.

In President Bush's minimalist definition, it is perpetual offensive war, "fighting the terrorists overseas so we do not have to face them here at home." In other words, every day that goes by without another 9/11 attack on American soil, that's victory.

This survey is not good news for either definition of victory. The anti-American attitudes of large majorities of Muslims gives little hope that liberal democracy will take root in the Middle East, nor that the supply of potential terrorists there is drying up. It is indeed time to rethink our strategy for victory. Perhaps we ought to start by rethinking just what it is we mean by victory.