Quote Originally Posted by davidbfpo View Post
A short article from a UK Business News website, the actual title is: 'There are nearly four times as many jihadist militants today than on 9/11, and the 'war on terror' has been a 'terrifyingly expensive failure'. BLUF:
On a quick read it appears to be based on a CSIS report published this week.
Link:http://https://www.csis.org/analysis...ihadist-threat

Link to the website article:http://uk.businessinsider.com/there-...8-11?r=US&IR=T
An article from the Director of Strategic Planning for the National Counterterrorism Center.

The Fight So Far (NOV 2018)

https://fortunascorner.com/2018/11/2...g-mike-nagata/

The purpose of this narrative is to encourage a larger and more effective discussion about these investments, practices, and choices.
Despite our efforts of the past 17 years, terrorists’ ability to raise revenue and resources, sponsor and broadcast extremist ideologies, recruit fighters, and move terrorist operatives from country to country has significantly grown.

Said more simply, the United States is facing an upward strategic trajectory of global terrorism.
The author argues due to an increase in great power competition, and there will be military force available to fight terrorists kinetically as we have been doing for the past 17 years; therefore, we need to dedicate more effort to non-kinetic means. This can be summed up as counter their narrative, contest their use of the internet, target their resources, and prevent terrorist travel. All of these things are being done now, but maybe more is required. I remain less than optimistic in our ability to counter their narrative. We have a built in cultural bias that these terrorists and the populations they operate in want to be like us, despite that flies in the face of the facts. Our proposed cure is to change their culture, push democracy, capitalism, economic development, women's rights, etc. It was never U.S. hard power that was the driver of modern day jihadist terrorism, but our soft power. The prevailing issue is not economic, but ideological, or more accurately incompatible ideologies. The non-kinetic ideas of denying terrorism freedom of movement on the internet, disrupting their resources and travel are proven to have some effect, even if it isn't decisive. We need to rethink the other non-kinetic approaches.