The Armed Forces Journal has published a review of Fighting the War of Ideas like a Real War, a book authored by an IWP professor and the first publication of IWP Press.
“The book is packed with action points that could be implemented rapidly and at little cost,” writes Armed Forces Journal editor Karen Walker. “We could, for instance, stop feeding the terrorist’s self-esteem and confirming his status as a martyr by using the term he selected for himself: jihad. . . .
“Another strategic weapon could be public ridicule, which is more feared than death; it’s destruction without martyrdom. [Author Michael] Waller’s justification for why ridicule works feels right. ‘It sticks. The target can’t refute it. It gets better with each re-telling.’ This stuff is so blindingly obvious and seemingly both clever and simple that it begs the question, ‘Why aren’t we already doing this?’
“Is it too late to make any difference? Perhaps. But if this guide offers ways that could discredit, divide and ultimately squelch the enemy into a blob of irrelevance, then the debate shouldn’t be whether it’s too late; the question is how soon can we start?”
Armed Forces Journal is making the electronic version of Fighting the War of Ideas like a Real War available on its website, www.armedforcesjournal.com, through June 2007.