If we are to prevail in this struggle, America and its allies must have the wisdom and resolve to ensure individual dignity and individual freedom secured by the rule of law are the fundamental tenets of 21st century modernity. We must also dedicate ourselves to the sustained, comprehensive defense of these tenets, using moral, intellectual, legal, economic and military means.
In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks I was more focused on harming the terrorists by hitting them and prying states that support them away from the terrorists. This would weaken the terrorists and keep them away from us at home.
But as we have battled the terrorists, I came to view the fight as more of an Islamic civil war over how Islam is defined that we must fully win rather than merely contain the wave of jihad until the jihad fever wears out so that a future jihad isn't a nuclear one.
UPDATE: And remember, our people streamed from the two burning towers for an hour and a half on September 11, 2001, leaping to sure death.
Our enemies say they love death.
Our people that day did not love death. Our people just preferred a different way to die than burning to death in a building the jihadis knocked down.
Give our enemies all the death they love until they love death no more.
Tip to Instapundit.
UPDATE: I count it a success that in the short run, our military and intelligence efforts kept our enemies from striking us on 9/11.
In the long run, we still need to help Islam reform itself. Not by writing Islamic doctrine as we helped write Japan's constitution--but by helping keep the moderates safe from the fanatics so the moderates can reform the doctrines to delegitimize jihad against non-Moslems.
