It was interesting listening to Dr. Rice last week draw a distinction between tactical and strategic engagement of terrorists. This is something I have long thought the most appropriate tactic to take. Oddly, though, she spoke as though the two were mutually exclusive, when, in fact, they complement one another when done properly.
The way I see it, those who perpetrate terrorist acts must be caught and brought to justice. In addition, those who provided "aid and comfort" should be brought to justice as well. These are tactical acts, reacting to the on the spot changes in dynamics. Strategically speaking, we want to do several things. First, we want to reduce the level of hatred in the world aimed at us. This is, to my mind, a sine qua non of reducing the threat of terror. Second, we want to aim to make it harder to support terror, and I think the government is doing a decent job at this.
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