War? What War?

The Rand Corporation, a nonpartisan private think tank, has come out with an interesting new study. Bottom line: The so-called "War on Terror" is a failure because it has failed to significantly hurt Al-Qaeda's capabilities.

However, it has failed not because of any particular lack of military strategy. Rather, according to the report, it has failed because combating terrorism can't be done by the military. In other words, terrorism needs to be thought of as a law enforcement issue. "Terrorists should be perceived and described as criminals, not holy warriors," according to the report's authors.

This is not that far-fetched. Keep in mind that the terrorist plot to bomb airliners in 2006 was thwarted not by brilliant military tactics on a battlefield, but rather by good old fashioned police work by Scotland Yard.

The report goes on to suggest that especially in Muslim countries, there should be a "light U.S. military footprint or none at all" since the presence of American troops serves to increase terrorist recruitment.