[CCIP]

I think defeating Islam is too lofty a goal. The idea of defeating a religion/social structure is a bit too extreme in the modern world. Even with the Cold War, the key word was not defeating communism but containing it. Nor was it defeated, but, as in the case of China, it's not exactly an immediate danger.

I think it's all too obvious to say that America can't defeat it or even legitimize attempts to do so under its moral ideology. On the other hand, containing it is a more realistic goal, and something that could be done - not with troops, perhaps, but with realistic policies nonetheless. You've learned to live with a billion communists by adapting a pragmatic approach to them and pressuring them where needed; perhaps likewise, if it's recognized as a similarly-conflicting ideology, you can live with a billion Muslims too.

I'm not a fan of Islamic fundamentalist values, but I'm not a fan of "let's bomb them", either.