Patriots: For over 26 years, your generosity has made it possible to offer The Patriot Post without a subscription fee to military personnel, students, and those with limited means. Please support the 2024 Year-End Campaign today.

January 8, 2006

National Security Primer 3: The Long War

The Long War against Jihadistan

“Our war on terror begins with al-Qa'ida, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated. … This war will not be like the war against Iraq a decade ago, with a decisive liberation of territory and a swift conclusion.” –George W. Bush

In the 1990s, with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, there was a new sense of security in the West, particularly in the U.S. But the Free World had unwittingly traded the Cold War for the Long War – “unwittingly” because after eight years of the Clinton administration’s national security malfeasance, and eight months of the newly installed Bush administration’s effort to reorder national priorities, most Americans were unaware that a deadly enemy had coalesced in our midst.

That false sense of security terminated abruptly on 11 September 2001, when one of this enemy’s brigades attacked the World Trade Center – for the second time. The first WTC attack on 26 February 1993 was treated by the Clinton administration as a “criminal act.” Subsequent attacks by this enemy against a U.S Air Force barracks in Saudi Arabia’s Khobar Towers, our embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and the USS Cole were also investigated as criminal acts.

On Clinton’s watch, terrorist cells under the control of Osama bin Laden had settled into several U.S. urban locations. For two years, they planned and prepared for a catastrophic attack on our nation. On 9/11 these al-Qa'ida cells emerged and attacked the U.S., murdering almost three thousand of our citizens and causing more than a hundred billion dollars in damages and economic losses. U.S. stocks, in fact, lost $1.2 trillion in value that week.

Fortunately, President George Bush had the resolve to call this attack what it was – an “act of war” – and respond accordingly. He implemented the Bush Doctrine of Pre-emption, which proposed that the only way to defend against such an enemy is to respond offensively. It is a doctrine that must be maintained as long as there are Islamists who would do us harm.

President Bush told the nation, “This is a long war, and we have a comprehensive strategy to win it. We’re taking the fight to the terrorists abroad, so we don’t have to face them here at home. We’re denying our enemies sanctuary, by making it clear that America will not tolerate regimes that harbor or support terrorists.”

Indeed, it will be a Long War, and his Doctrine of Pre-emption is the best directive for strategy.

How long? That depends, in part, on how one defines its origin.

If the war began in 627 AD, five years after Islam’s founding, when Mohammed committed his first genocide against a Jewish tribe, then the war is an epic and ongoing struggle between Islam and other religions, especially against Jews and Christians. Which is to say that its conclusion is not foreseeable. If the war is an extension of the Middle-Age invasions of the West by rapacious Islam, whether the start date is the victory of Charles Martel at Tours (732 AD), the back and forth of Crusades (1095-1669) or defeats like Constantinople (1453 AD), the siege of Vienna (1529 AD), the fleet at Lepanto (1571 AD), or the gates of Vienna (1683 AD), then the war is a clash of civilizations which likely has centuries of conflict yet ahead.

But if the war against Jihadistan began, as The Patriot would suggest, on 11 September 2001, taking into account that Jihadi attacks on Western targets date back to the 1960s, then it will likely continue for decades.

“Our generational commitment to the advancement of freedom, especially in the Middle East, is now being tested and honored in Iraq,” says President Bush. Indeed, it is a “generational commitment” – a long war.

Because Jihadistan lacks any central governing authority (other than the Islamist protagonist of the day – currently Osama bin Laden) or any central funding mechanism (other than the Saudi government and Islamist support groups in the West), its methods are unconventional. That is to say, it will use the most devastating weapon in its arsenal to succeed in its objective of destroying “the infidels.”

Indeed, given that objective, and past performance, what’s to prevent surrogate terrorists from detonating a nuclear weapon in a U.S. urban center? Perhaps only a determined and dedicated application of the Doctrine of Pre-emption as outlined by President Bush. Clearly, there can be no defeating this enemy without the national will to prosecute a long-term engagement. In addition, our nation will require a good measure of fortune - and the continued grace of God.

National Security Primers

Who We Are

The Patriot Post is a highly acclaimed weekday digest of news analysis, policy and opinion written from the heartland — as opposed to the MSM’s ubiquitous Beltway echo chambers — for grassroots leaders nationwide. More

What We Offer

On the Web

We provide solid conservative perspective on the most important issues, including analysis, opinion columns, headline summaries, memes, cartoons and much more.

Via Email

Choose our full-length Digest or our quick-reading Snapshot for a summary of important news. We also offer Cartoons & Memes on Monday and Alexander’s column on Wednesday.

Our Mission

The Patriot Post is steadfast in our mission to extend the endowment of Liberty to the next generation by advocating for individual rights and responsibilities, supporting the restoration of constitutional limits on government and the judiciary, and promoting free enterprise, national defense and traditional American values. We are a rock-solid conservative touchstone for the expanding ranks of grassroots Americans Patriots from all walks of life. Our mission and operation budgets are not financed by any political or special interest groups, and to protect our editorial integrity, we accept no advertising. We are sustained solely by you. Please support The Patriot Fund today!


The Patriot Post and Patriot Foundation Trust, in keeping with our Military Mission of Service to our uniformed service members and veterans, are proud to support and promote the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, both the Honoring the Sacrifice and Warrior Freedom Service Dogs aiding wounded veterans, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, the National Veterans Entrepreneurship Program, the Folds of Honor outreach, and Officer Christian Fellowship, the Air University Foundation, and Naval War College Foundation, and the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation. "Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for his friends." (John 15:13)

★ PUBLIUS ★

“Our cause is noble; it is the cause of mankind!” —George Washington

Please join us in prayer for our nation — that righteous leaders would rise and prevail and we would be united as Americans. Pray also for the protection of our Military Patriots, Veterans, First Responders, and their families. Please lift up your Patriot team and our mission to support and defend our Republic's Founding Principle of Liberty, that the fires of freedom would be ignited in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.

The Patriot Post is protected speech, as enumerated in the First Amendment and enforced by the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, in accordance with the endowed and unalienable Rights of All Mankind.

Copyright © 2024 The Patriot Post. All Rights Reserved.

The Patriot Post does not support Internet Explorer. We recommend installing the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome.