CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- The fact that every day a new "armchair" terrorism expert appears can be viewed as a welcome sign, for it shows that there is growing alertness to the new challenge of our times. Terrorism experts continue to argue over the best ways to confront unimaginable threats, but frequently fail to separate the short- and long-term dimensions. Talking too much about cutting off the hydra's heads pertains to the former, while addressing the problem in a more comprehensive way pertains to the latter.
In Southeast Asia -- a theater for terrorist activities -- many have spoken of the need to destroy the terrorist leadership to prevent further attacks. Yet this argument can be made two ways: positively, if the aim is to extinguish the fires of the terrorist mindset; or negatively, if there is a failure to recognize that each falling head may be replaced by a new and potentially more destructive one.
The best course would be to move away from this endless discourse and ponder a long-term solution that focuses on denying new recruits to extremist causes. Proposals on how this can be accomplished come even from the Islamic world, although they are sometimes drowned out by the vociferous chorus of jihadis.