How to Defeat Bin Laden

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"If, as appears increasingly likely, groups associated with terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden are found to be responsible for Tuesday's murderous attacks in New York and Washington, the United States would be fully justified in taking vigorous action to apprehend and punish him and to put his terror networks out of business," observes Michael Klare. "The question then becomes: What strategy will best accomplish this objective?" Klare recommends a strategy of "global law enforcement collaboration plus moral and religious combat." The war against terrorism is a war of ideas as well as weapons. "To prevent the recruitment of additional volunteers into bin Laden's networks (or others of their type), we have to successfully portray him as an enemy of authentic Islam," Klare says. "Bin Laden has succeeded in recruiting followers up until now -- volunteers who are willing to sacrifice their lives -- because he has been able to portray himself as the true defender of Islam. Now, we must seek out and ally ourselves with the vast number of Muslims who are repelled and horrified by the death of so many innocent people in New York and Washington. We must encourage influential Muslim clerics to condemn bin Laden as an enemy of true Islamic belief."