Rethinking The War On Terrorism -- A Commentary

Rethinking ‘The Long War’ On Terrorism -- David Ignatius, Washington Post

Gen. John Abizaid used the phrase “the long war” to describe America’s battle with Islamic extremism after Sept. 11, 2001. When I first heard him say it in the dark days of 2004, as Iraq was spiraling downward, I had the feeling that it would last for most of our lifetimes.

Behind this decades-long battle, Abizaid said, was the political modernization of the Islamic world — the explosive process of change that he likened to the revolutions and anarchic movements that swept across Europe in the 19th century.

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My Comment: We can rethink the 'the long war' on terror as much as we want, but in the end it is terror groups like Al Qaeda that will influence our policies and behavior. In fact .... as long as we are not willing to recognize who and what the enemy is .... radical Islamists with a strong commitment to pursue Jihad .... this war (which has actually been going on for centuries), will continue until the Muslim world itself reforms and modernizes .... a process that I very much doubt will be accomplished in my lifetime.