Can the West, waging 21st century warfare, abiding by complicated ROE’s and international conventions, providing aid to its enemies during battle, win against a 7th century opponent who follows no rules? Not a ceasefire, not a DMZ, but an actual victory? For ex., we have crushed Al-Qaeda and other terrorists in Iraq, and we win every battle with the Taliban/Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. The Israelis surely can decimate HAMAS, but what is victory? I wonder if the West must start walling off large sections of the world (figuratively and literally) and simply stay on guard. Unfortunately, the posters who believe WWII is irrelevant when discussing the wars we face today have a point. What wars have the US decisively won? WWII and the Civil War. (No, we had to beat the British twice in order to kick them out for good). What do WWII and the Civil War have in common? Total war, total destruction, horrible death, unbelievable human suffering, but a better world in the end. But that raises the question of who/what would the West wage “total war” against, even if the will where there to do so?