Lessons Learned

For extremist Muslim movements to transition from violence to politics, they must come to understand that their interests are better served through a political process rather than via terror and violence. Rather than a strategic decision, this is more likely to occur as an evolutionary process. The United States has an interest in encouraging this process to go forward. Military action and diplomacy backed by the threat of force are options. ¹ However, President George W. Bush’s global war on terror has imparted a simple lesson: it is not possible to kill every adversary. Some combination of confrontation, coercion, and cooperation is required.