First we need to change the name. It is ultimately a war of ideas, namely, whether radical Islam will prevail over enlightened and inclusive democracy. In this struggle for world-wide democracy, here are the steps we must take:

1. We must be mentally strong and thoroughly rooted in the theory and practice of democracy. This means knowing our Constitution, our Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence. It means being willing to share our freedom --- not to intervene when some country elects a leader we do not like.

2. A democratic society is a society that asks WHY?  It questions authority, demands answers, and is actively engaged in the issues of our time. We cannot be spectators.

3. We must know the other nations of the world. Therefore, starting in grade school, we should teach 50,000 students per year to speak Farsi, Arabic, Mandarin, and dozens of other languages. (This would cost less than a single B-2 bomber.) These children must learn other cultures because we cannot afford the arrogance that we need only know English and that only our culture has merit.

4. We must reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and this means (collectively gasp) higher gas prices. It means wind, wave and biomass energy. And that takes investment.

5. We need smart military engagements. Regime change by force didn't work for Alexander the Great, Attila the Hun, or ultimately for the Roman Empire. Spending trillions of dollars on a pointless war will surely bankrupt us and bring about the very result we seek to avoid.

6. We must secure our borders but fences won't do the trick. (They didn't for Hadrian, the Great Wall of China, the Maginot Line.) Secure border mean, at least in part, intelligent immigration policy (the subject of another paper), and aid to Mexico so that her citizens can earn a decent wage at home.

7. And the final component of a successful campaign for world-wide democracy is being willing to sacrifice at home. If Americans are not strong, are not determined, and are not motivated to create a safe and just world, then all of our toys will not save us. We need to restore those character traits that made America great.

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