Knowing the Enemy

Knowing the Enemy contains more useful suggestions than the Iraq Study Group. However there is neither the will nor the time. The most useful thought is how to understand the ladder of extremism. The vast population are mainstream who are potential allies against radical Islamism and whose grievances can be addressed by political reform. The next tier is alienated Muslims who require ideological conversion. The next tier are the ones that end up joining insurgent cells. The full range of counter insurgency tools including violence must be used. The top tier must be imprisoned or killed. The issue is how to identify and isolate each tier.