Because the global jihad is advancing on many fronts, not all involving terrorism or violence, a strong military is not the only thing we need to defeat it. But it is — especially when properly deployed — an indispensable prerequisite. I have been reminded of this while reading Don’t Tread On Me: A 400-Year History of America at War, from Indian Fighting to Terrorist Hunting by H. W. Crocker.
This book is not only briskly and brightly written, as are all his books, but it underscores the essential decency of the American fighting forces — a fact we need to affirm unapologetically today in the face of jihadist propaganda, and as one principal manifestation of the superiority (yes) of the culture and civilization that we are defending.
