Agreed. What I was referring to are tactics on the ground. For example, winning over the hearts and minds of third-generation terrorists (think German RAF, Japanese Red Army, some parts of the PLO/IRA) just isn't possible. Negotiation isn't really an option with most of them, because their demands have become so other-worldly that they cannot possibly be met. On the other hand, insurgents can be negotiated with and so on. So a heavy approach with them can be a mistake, just as a light approach with terrorists can have dangerous consequences.

Just examples, mind, but it's more where my thinking goes with this issue. Certainly there are hangers-on within terrorist groups, and there are also dedicated insurgents that cannot be negotiated with or diverted from their goals.