Quote Originally Posted by Bill Moore View Post
We need to accept that this form of terrorism will have a long life span. We have demonstrated we don't know how to defeat them strategically (at least yet), so we need a sustainable approach working with our partners to continue to collect intelligence and disruption operations to protect our citizens.
We need to pursue and disrupt, but we also need to starve them of recruits and funding by disrupting their primary narrative. If we've learned anything over the past decade, we've learned that Western occupation of Muslim countries is what AQ thrives on: whatever they lose to immediate interdiction in the occupied country they gain in credibility elsewhere. For me a long range strategy would aim to deprive AQ of ideological food by refraining from occupation or extended presence.

I suspect that as we draw down in Afghanistan we will enter a very dangerous time. They need a foreign occupier to wage jihad against; it's a critical part of their identity. They will be very eager to bait the US into another adventure, and that will make another major attack very likely. We need to be alert, and if they manage to get through the defenses and mount a successful attack, we need to see the bait for what it is and not fall into the trap of giving them what they want (again).