If you want a good metaphor for the War on Terror, look no further than this scene from "Through the Looking Glass" by Lewis Carroll. Alice is racing with the Queen of Hearts:



"In our country," said Alice, still panting a little, "you'd generally get to somewhere else - if you ran very fast for a long time, as we've been doing."



"A slow sort of country!" said the Queen. "Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!"



We've been running as fast as we can to defeat global terrorism since Sept. 11, 2001, but are we getting anywhere? What's taking so long?



Brian Jenkins, one of the nation's premier experts on terrorism, addresses this frustrating problem in his book, "Unconquerable Nation." A former Special Forces officer, Jenkins pioneered the modern study of terrorism starting way back in 1972. Lately, he's been serving as a senior advisor to the President of the RAND Corporation. (His most recent book on nuclear terrorism was endorsed by leaders on both sides of the political spectrum.)



The United States is definitely capable of defeating terrorism, says Jenkins, but only if we approach the problem in a more sophisticated way.



First of all, he says, we must acknowledge that terrorism is not an existential threat to the United States in the same way that Soviet nuclear weapons clearly were. Secondly, we must realize that our greatest strength is our historical commitment to a free, open and democratic society. Abandoning our values in pursuit of more "security" is exactly the wrong thing to do, he says. In fact, the stark contrast between jihadist values and American values is one of our greatest weapons -- if we use it effectively. Thirdly, we must understand -- and then harness -- the principles of political warfare. Here's a brief summary:



Defeating terrorism is about winning "HUMAN terrain," not "physical terrain." We can't win by seizing a hilltop or bridge -- this isn't World War II or Belgium in 1917. Rather, we must use political warfare to defeat violent jihadism at its very core -- to demonstrate its moral bankruptcy to the very people who might be attracted to it. Winning through political warfare requires:



-- Understanding the cultural, religious and political forces that give rise to jihadism in places like Pakistan and Iraq.

-- Short-circuiting the jihadist recruiting networks at every opportunity.

-- Using more sophisticated methods to undercut jihadist propaganda.

-- Engaging both local and international allies more effectively.

-- Turning disaffected enemy fighters to our side whenever possible.

-- Highlighting the terrible truth about jihadism at every possible opportunity.



The jihadists have no real political agenda or plan, explains Jenkins. They offer little more than superficial idealism, misery and death.



Of course, political warfare walks hand-in-hand with military warfare, says Jenkins. They must complement each other, but all too often that hasn't been the case. The use of torture in places like Gitmo and Abu Ghraib only strengthens the enemy, he says, adding to their propaganda power and recruiting success. Similarly, the invasion of Iraq diverted much-needed resources away from the Afghan theater and provided yet another "I told you so" message for Al Qaeda leaders to broadcast worldwide.



As of this writing (May 2009), the resurgent Taliban are battling the Pakistani Army in the Swat Valley, displacing a million local residents. Several massive bombs went off in Iraq last week, killing dozens of civilians. And most Americans seem too afraid to move Gitmo prisoners from our base in Cuba to a SuperMax facility stateside. (Our nation of 300 million is afraid of a few bearded bad guys in a jail? Say what?)



Political warfare may very well be the key to winning this stubborn conflict -- if we have the patience and wisdom to follow advice from people like Brian Jenkins. Let's hope our leaders are listening.