The War on Terror 20 Years on: Crossroads or Cul-De-Sac?
Author(s):
As the war on terror approaches its 20th anniversary, how can the US and the West best manage an ongoing conflict that shows no signs of abating? The longstanding focus on targeting terrorist leaders and groups without effectively addressing the ideology that motivates and animates them has thus far proven powerless to halt the spread of Salafi-Jihadism, much less achieve a decisive resolution of this conflict. Breaking this stasis now is as critical as it is timely. A new, more balanced, strategy and approach that better melds the variety of vital non-kinetic tools along with kinetic ones is needed to turn the current cul-de-sac the US and its allies find themselves into a more meaningful and productive crossroads.