Defeating the Jihadists: A Blueprint for Action

Like the 9/11 Commission Report and books such as Imperial Hubris, Defeating the Jihadists is another must-read for anyone wants to better understand the threat a terrorism and just how our government may be mishandling the entire situation. Two chapters in particular stood out for me: Chapter 4: A Country-by-Country Approach and Chapter 5: Partnering with the Islamic World. Chapters 4 lays out in detail the conditions in five nations (Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan and Iraq) in which terrorists, or as the authors call them "jihadists," are seeking to replace existing governments or have already succeeded in installing a fundamentalist regime. Of particular importance, I think, is the discussion of Pakistan (a nuclear country) and the failed policy in Iraq. Chapter 5 discusses how we can partner with Islamic countries to promote ideas like democracy, civil liberties, nonviolence, and protection of noncombatants. This is a dry volume, but that doesn't reduce its importance. Every library in America should have a copy of this book.