Defeating the Jihadists: A Blueprint for Action

"It is imperative that we implement effective policies that address the causes, conditions, and misunderstandings that have brought the world to the current impasse. The Century Foundation's Defeating the Jihadists: A Blueprint for Action builds on the findings of the 9/11 Commission and provides a detailed plan for creating a more secure world. It is essential reading."—Bob Kerrey, president, New School University

Defeating the Jihadists: A Blueprint for Action, the report of a task force assembled and chaired by Richard A. Clarke, assesses the nation's successes and failures in fighting terrorism and provides a detailed action plan for neutralizing the international movement at the core of worldwide terrorism. Central to these plans are the group's proposals for significant changes in U.S. policy toward key Muslim countries. The report also describes the nature of the jihadist threat; provides comprehensive profiles of the various groups; and offers a rationale for the effort and money that would be needed to make the plan a success.

Key strategies covered in depth include:

Focus on winning the "Battle of Ideas"

Invest in education and development in Islamic nations

Implement tailored strategies for key countries, particularly Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Iraq

Defuse sources of Islamic hatred for the United States

Improve U.S. intelligence and law enforcement organization

Reinvigorate efforts to combat terrorist financing

Improve U.S. military organization and

Accelerate security investments for ports, trains, and chemical plants.

Richard A. Clarke has served the past three presidents as special assistant to the president for global affairs, national coordinator for security and counterterrorism, and special adviser to the president for cybersecurity. Glenn P. Aga is a former U.S. Air Force intelligence officer. Roger W. Cressey has served as director for transnational threats on the National Security Council staff. Stephen E. Flynn is the Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow for National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Blake W. Mobley is a doctoral candidate specializing in counterterrorism and international relations at Georgetown University. Eric Rosenbach is a national security consultant for the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University and served four years as a military intelligence officer supporting operations in the Balkans. Steven Simon is the Hasib J. Sabbagh senior fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Prior to joining the Council, Simon specialized in Middle Eastern affairs at the RAND Corporation and was the deputy director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. From 1994 until 1999, Simon served as director for global issues and senior director for transnational threats on the National Security Council staff. He has published widely in leading foreign policy journals and newspapers and is a frequent commentator on radio and television. He has a BA from Columbia University in Classics and Near Eastern languages, an MTS from the Harvard Divinity School, and an MPA from Princeton University. In addition to teaching at Georgetown University, he has been a university fellow at Brown University and Oxford University. Simon is the coauthor of The Age of Sacred Terror, The Next Attack, Building a Successful Palestinian State, The Arc: A Formal Structure for a Palestinian State, and coeditor of Iraq at the Crossroads: State and Society in the Shadow of Regime Change with Toby Dodge. William F. Wechsler has been special adviser to the secretary of the Treasury, director for transnational threats at the National Security Council, and special assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Lee S. Wolosky served as director for transnational threats on the National Security Council under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.