The Washington Post has an article by General David Petraeus concerning what will be necessary to successfully combat Islamic extremism. I freely admit I began reading it with jaundiced eyes, fearing the usual hearts-and-minds manure COIN guys are known for.
Let me say I am pleasantly surprised. Assuming one doesn't choose to do "Fortress America" and let the rest of the world go to hell, what the general has written makes considerable sense. His five key points:
1. Ungoverned spaces in North Africa, the Middle East, and into Central Asia will become sanctuaries for Islamic extremists who will establish Sharia regimes and train terrorists.
2. Terror attacks will not be limited to the periphery of their territory but will occur in the West.
3. U.S. leadership is essential, no one else will do it.
4. Surgical strikes and bombing will not suffice.
5. U.S. efforts will need to be sustained over time, arbitrary deadlines are not helpful. The model is our involvement in South Korea, rather than the failed models of Vietnam and Iraq.
Doing what Petraeus asks is a dreary prospect, pretty much open-ended, but likely no less necessary.
