The "War on Terror"--Is the War Model All Wrong?

One of the few cogent moments in the 2004 Kerry campaign was when the candidate, briefly, questioned the whole "war" model of the GWOT. He was heckled into silence on the matter, and, aside from those who noticed how the Brits, Italians and Germans solved their terrorism problems in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, few Americans considered the subject still debatable. Osama declared war, we were told, therefore we were at war.

Now comes a piece in the Asia Times, delineating how the Indonesians have used the "tough law enforcement" model, as opposed to the "war" model, against their home-grown insurgents. Since the war model has served us so well regarding drugs, we might--that is to say, those not in or supporting the administration might--take this lesson to heart.