[Dark Skies]

It seems that some people think we will change hundreds of years of tradition and entire belief systems through military action. I say that such people are supremely foolish.

Oh and by the way "oh enlightened one"...our enemy isn't just a military force. It is also ideological and is in fact embedded in those traditions and tribal custom to which you refer.

Foolish or not, someone had better clearly identify the enemy and develop a strategy for victory.

The DoD has recently introduced a new strategy (which is the most comprehensive so far) called "countering ideological support for terrorism" (known as CIST).

Of course, they are probably confused.

[lugsoul]

If the DoD thinks they can change the mindset of residents of the remote regions of Afghanistan or the tribal areas of Pakistan, then they are simply repeating a mistake that has been made many times before.

And I don't think a cool acronym is going to make the difference, either.