Four steps to defeat terrorism

1. Recognize that ‘terrorism’ is a tactic…not something you can actually fight. It is a violent and lethal means that groups use to achieve their political aims. Our violent and lethal response to terrorism (WAR) is what terrorists want … for three specific reasons.

A. Our “waging war” against them legitimizes their ‘warrior’ status.

B. Our ‘waging war’ proves that we don’t really value ‘the rule of law’… or protecting human rights … because waging war violates both.

C. Our willing acceptance of ‘collateral damage’ as the price of waging war helps terrorist’s propaganda efforts and improves their prospect for recruiting.

2. Make friends not enemies. International cooperation, intelligence and economic burden sharing are key to finding and stopping terrorists before they can commit mass murder. International police and intelligence work creates the most effective "net" for stopping the flow of money, people and materials critical to terrorist operations.

Nation building and investments in essential human needs such as health, education, water and sanitation create a human/social/economic environment does two things:

A. It lessens the chaos and lawlessness that terrorists networks need to survive and thrive.

B. It proves to others that we value their lives more than our own wealth which builds loyalty and respect far faster than shock and awe.

3. Chose the force of law over the law of force for solving problems. Mass murderers deserve justice…not warrior status. And the innocent deserve protection…not fear of both terrorists and governments.

4 Divide our enemies. All terrorist groups are different. It would be a grievous error to lump Al-Qaida, Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Mahdi Army… all together as "Islamofascist". Each may threaten our national security interests in some way, but we need not force them to work together. Each have different goals, operate differently, and come from different places and cultures. We can offer each group political dialogue or the force of law. Some, like Al-Qaida, may resist dialogue or international law. But then we will have the world on our side (as we did immediately after 9-11) and that is what we will need to defeat them.