Bobby Baer.

This is coolbert:

 

"One day militant Islam will burn itself out, like any other millennial cult. But in the meantime, we should be changing our game, adapting as fast as al-Qaeda does. If we learn to fight intelligently, and pull everyone else on board with us, we stand a lot better chance of killing this virus." - - B. Baer.

 

From the online edition [no other edition now exists] of Time as on the web only from yesterday we have the comments of Bobby Baer. American ex-CIA case officer with a lot of experience in the Middle East. When Bobby speaks we should listen? I can safely assume too that the thoughts and "viewpoint" of Bobby at least to some extent in agreement with what others in the intelligence community are thinking?

"Viewpoint: Algerian Terror Debacle Shows that Fighting Al-Qaeda is Like Fighting Narcos"

"If there’s one thing last week’s attack on the Algerian gas facility should tell us, it’s that the “war on terror” isn’t all that different from the “war on drugs”. Throwing money at a problem and relying on brute force doesn’t win these “wars”. Drugs are less expensive and more pure than ever; the jihadists are better armed and better prepared than ever to keep on fighting."

That Global War On Terrorism [GWOT] not "win-able" in the conventional sense? A lot of damage has been done to Al Qaeda for instance rank and file personnel and higher ranking commanders to include Bin Laden killed, operations disrupted or pre-empted. This is granted.

GWOT also recognized as a long-term affair a phenomenon long lasting many decades or even more!

But a festering sore, a nuisance and NOT necessarily an existential threat, at least as long as the jihadist does not obtain WMD [weapons of mass destruction]!

Bobby DOES to his credit suggest some solutions more work-able than sheer military might. These include:

* "we need to deprive the militants of their oxygen – money"

* "we need to speed up our withdrawal from Afghanistan"

* "we have to seriously prepare for other failing states falling to the militants"

Devoted readers to the blog can suggest otherwise?

"Those dynamic circumstances requiring constant appraisal and change as needed by the authorities in Paris.". NOT only in Paris Everywhere else for that matter. Obvious.

Those various jihadist groups too not so totally in control of the situation as they might like to think it is. That "festering sore" rather than the "existential threat" we understand as a YES!

coolbert.