A Primer on Islamism

White House communications official Peter Wehner has written an invaluable primer on the nature of the Islamist threat to the United States and the West in general. Wehner's essay does an excellent job of discussing who the jihadists are, what they believe, and outlining the differences between the Sunni and Shia forms of Islamist radicalism:

President Bush has said that the war against global jihadism is more than a military conflict; it is the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century. We are still in the early years of the struggle. The civilized world will either rise to the challenge and prevail against this latest form of barbarism, or grief and death will visit us and other innocents on a massive scale.

Given the stakes involved in this war and how little is known, even now, about what is at the core of this conflict, it is worth reviewing in some detail the nature of our enemy--including disaggregating who they are (Shia and Sunni extremists), what they believe and why they believe it, and the implications of that for America and the West.


This is truly information that every American needs to know. Please give it a read:

Why They Fight