Glenn to David Brooks’ observation that the 9/11 report makes a clear statement about what we are actually fighting:
We are facing, the report notes, a loose confederation of people who believe in a perverted stream of Islam that stretches from Ibn Taimaya to Sayyid Qutb. Terrorism is just the means they use to win converts to their cause.
It seems like a small distinction – emphasizing ideology instead of terror – but it makes all the difference, because if you don’t define your problem correctly, you can’t contemplate a strategy for victory. . . .
As I reminded Glenn (and he kindly linked to), I addressed very similar themes in my post The War of the Memes, way back in 2002. In my opinion, it is probably the best piece of blog writing I’ve done to date (for whatever that’s worth), so I’ll take any excuse to refer folks back to it. Take a look; if you find it worthless, you probably shouldn’t bother coming back around these parts, because I’m unlikely to get much better than that… 🙂
-NZB
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technology meets creativity in a disaster-prone world. confident enough to try; humble enough to learn.