After nearly a quarter-century fending off radical Islam, it is tragic we remain willfully blind to the two things that actually drive the recruitment and material support that jihadist networks need to succeed: ideology and the belief that they’re destined to win.
We have underestimated the centrality of Islamist ideology, better described as sharia supremacism. Because it exploits seventh-century scriptural commands to jihad to incite violence in the modern world, exhortations by influential Islamist leaders cannot be dismissed as mere dissent. We must remain mindful of the tight nexus between radical speech and anti-American violence.
It is this conquest ideology, with its sense of divine purpose transcending this life, that draws devout Muslims to jihad. What also attracts potential jihadists to groups like ISIS is the perception that these groups are winning.
Two conclusions can be drawn. Domestically, we must reject a counterterrorism strategy that focuses only on action to the exclusion of ideology. Radicalism must trigger investigative attention — to wait for action is to guarantee attacks. Internationally, we must rout ISIS and deny it safe haven. Once humiliated, ISIS and its cause will lose their appeal.
Andrew C. McCarthy is a former federal prosecutor and a contributing editor to National Review.