Crowbat is right, from his latest post:
And one just can't 'kill' ideas: only provide more attractive alternatives.
For many good reasons the US and by implication all of the Western post-9/11 response has relied on "might is right". Sadly those options fail to recognise and counter that the violence of the jihadists is based on ideas and grievances.

That is unless there is a covert operation based on a strategy which the public know nothing about. If this exists I do wonder if it has any success.

One commentator, John Schindler refers to this in a wide-ranging commentary:http://20committee.com/2014/09/11/de...-how-to-guide/

All this is not just about Syria!