Beyond Bullets: A Pragmatic Strategy to Combat Violent Extremism

Violent Islamist extremism will remain a potent threat to American national security for the foreseeable future. On our own soil, catastrophic terrorism employing chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear weapons remains a remote but grave risk. Beyond U.S. borders, American interests, including American allies, institutions, and citizens, remain likely targets. From Pakistan to Somalia, a com¬plex assortment of Islamist extremists threatens to destabilize whole countries or regions, potentially unleashing political turmoil, economic distress, and widespread violence.

This global and complex threat demands a global and complex response. In this paper, Dr. Kristin M. Lord, Dr. John A. Nagl and Seth Rosen present a comprehensive strategy to combat violent Islamist extremism, one that employs nearly every resource America has to offer from military to diplomacy, to the public and private sectors. The paper examines the chronology of America s evolving response to violent Islamist extremism, while establishing a clear analysis of the threat and presenting strategic principles to guide U.S. actions. Though the authors mention that the United States must adapt its role to circumstance, being sometimes a leader, sometimes a quiet supporter, sometimes the coordinator of diverse actors, and sometimes the determined projector of force, they argue that the United States must press intelligently, carefully, and seriously for democratic reform in the Middle East before the opportunity to steer the region away from a deepening radicalization is lost.