If the notion of fighting a "War on Terror" by dropping bombs and invading countries seems to be, at best batshit zany, and at worst counterproductive, you're not alone.
In highlighting a terribly underreported piece of the 9/11 commission report, Newsweek's Fareed Zakaria writes:
The report describes the struggle as "more than a war," but what the conclusions make plain is that it really means that it is different from war. Of the 27 recommendations in this chapter, only one can be seen as advocating the use of military force: attacking "terrorists and their organizations." And even that one, on closer inspection, is more complicated. The sanctuaries identified are in places like Pakistan, Thailand, and Nigeria and in Central and Eastern European cities with lax border controls. What are we to do, invade these countries? The only way that we will apprehend or kill suspected terrorists and disrupt their organizations is by cooperating with these governments.posted by dack