Ralph Peters recently wrote that the most troubling aspect of international security for the US is not the killing power of our enemies, which remains modest in historical terms, but our increasingly effete view of warfare. The greatest advantage our opponents enjoy is an uncompromising strength of will, their readiness to “pay any price and bear any burden” to hurt and humble us. As our enemies’ view of what is permissible in war expands apocalyptically, our self-limiting definitions of allowable targets and acceptable casualties—hostile, civilian and our own—continue to narrow fatefully. Our enemies cannot defeat us in direct confrontations, but we appear determined to defeat ourselves. br /The US needs to decide if we’re really at war against a determined enemy or not. If yes, then we need to start fully engaging them. If we decide that the answer is no, then we’d best prepare for domestic terrorism–because they will come here–or are they already here?
