Endless War

March 1, 2010
In his latest, author and columnist Peters (Fighting for the Future) puts the contemporary conflict between Islam and the West into the context of 14 centuries of warfare, making a clear and compelling case for rethinking the U.S. approach. When Muslim armies exploded out of Arabia in the 7th century, the armies of Dark Age Europe didn't know how to stop them. While the Muslims fought as a unified, cohesive army, the Europeans were loyal only to their feudal lords, fighting in small units, or simply man-to-man; fast-forward to the present of Iraq and Afghanistan, where the U.S.-led coalition is the unified force, while Islamist fanatics work as disorganized bands, attacking each other as often as coalition targets. Contrary to what Western leaders may think, Peters insists, the war on terrorism is a war of religion-at least for militant Islamists. From this vantage, Peters takes Western leaders to task for a 60 year policy of rational negotiation; in Peters's thorough analysis, the War on Terror is an emotionally-driven endeavor, and an effective strategy for victory will only arise once political and military leaders recognize the motives, internal and historical, that drive our foes.