THE WAR ON TERROR EVOLVES

It's been a long time coming but the Pentagon's war on terror strategy is changing:

The terrorist threat against the United States is now defined as "Islamist extremism" --not just al Qaeda. The Pentagon document identifies the "primary enemy" as "extremist Sunni and Shia movements that exploit Islam for political ends" and that form part of a "global web of enemy networks." Recognizing that al Qaeda's influence has spread, the United States is now targeting some two dozen groups--a significant change from the early focus on just al Qaeda and its leadership.

The new approach emphasizes "encouraging" and "enabling" foreign partners, especially in countries where the United States is not at war. Concluding that the conflict cannot be fought by military means alone--or by the United States acting alone--the new Pentagon plan outlines a multipronged strategy that targets eight pressure points and outlines six methods for attacking terrorist networks.

Really, it's amazing that a huge entrenched bureaucracy like the DoD is as adaptable as it is. Anyway, it's a long and interesting article, well worth reading just to discover that Rumsfeld's famously numerous memos are called "snowflakes" by Pentagon staffers.