A Different Kind of Warfare - By HJS

In his book Unconquerable Nation, Rand Corporation senior advisor Brian Michael Jenkins tells us that

“Political warfare is not concerned with advertising American values or winning hearts and minds, an effort that addresses the attitudes of the broader population—the sea in which the jihadist fish swim. We must, of course, attempt to understand the sentiments of the Islamic world, their antipathies toward us and toward the terrorist fanatics who threaten them as well. Where possible, we should try to address these within the limits of our own national interests. But we must also be realistic about our limitations.”

If you have not noticed, the non-jihadist Muslims themselves are also concerned about the recurring atrocities and histrionics going on in their names. The jihadists also point to the non-jihadist, repeating President Bush’s words that anyone not with them is against them, implying that the jihadist will deal with them as resolutely as they are dealing with the infidels.

The United States should be addressing these non-jihadist Muslims in their own terms, assuring them that we know their quandary with respect to the seventh century commands thrown in their faces, and praising their ability to remain steadfast and committed to more current and pertinent values than the ancient diatribes which confuse at best and do not reflect present circumstances. One wonders how much vitriol is left when one puts aside the grudges of more than 2,000 years and starts anew with love and respect for our fellow man. We know that we Americans can show tolerance for everyone, if there is an honest effort to meet us half-way and there is no knife or suicide belt to punctuate disagreement.

The Muslims, all of them, must know exactly what we want; what we want for them, and exactly how we can support their religion at the expense of ancient ideology. There is room for everyone on this earth and no earthly reason why any esoteric ideology should claim hegemony over all the rest of humanity. When the general ideals of human rights and religious values can be incorporated into a Constitution acceptable to a prudent, contemplative person with no ax to grind, why not walk away from the darkness and uncertainty of a different age into the light of today and a fresh look at a world not as bad as it may have seemed.

But before it can be done, American leadership must show that is has gone more than just an extra mile and studied the ancient documents and the ancient traditions and paid more than lip service to really knowing the people, the religion, the ideology, and the convoluted relationships that make a 7/24/365 life so volatile and so cruel. Being educated should never be an excuse for being ignorant. Such a study is not easy and should never be taken lightly or without the best guides. The administration's present guide obviously won't do. Until our leadership knows through personal commitment and effort the various sources of the hatred and the intolerance, and the commitments to which the Muslims feel they must adhere, we can not begin to address their grievances and their differences. Until we are ready to do that, we will simply have to continue killing enemy combatants one by one while they continue to replace them, for the next ten years or more instead of recruiting them to help build a more tolerant world.

HJS