A Leaner, Meaner Jihad

Although the culprits behind last week's Madrid bombings have yet to be identified, it seems that most fingers are pointing to Islamic jihadists. In this op-ed article, Scott Atran argues that America's fight against terrorism is like Hercules' fight against the Hydra – each time one head is cut off, new heads spring forth to continue the battle. Contrary to many people's understanding, 'the enemy' in the war on terror is not a tightly coordinated network headed by al Qaeda, but rather a broad assortment of regional and local groups pursuing their own political, social, and religious agendas. "In fact," Atran argues, "Osama bin Laden's greatest threat may be that simply by claiming to act in his name, regional groups are better able to recruit and coordinate operations." And the war in Iraq, he says, has energized even more groups to fight against the US. Winning the war on Islamic terror, Atran concludes, will require the US to swear off unilateralism and call upon the strength and support of its allies. – YaleGlobal