They are terrorist groups who seek to build Islamist states in, as well as out of, non Islamist states.  They justify their murder of innocents as a tribute they pay to a God who apparently only approves of them.  Indeed, their battles are also with various sects of each other..

Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistn, the Philippines, Kenya and Chechnya -- this struggle is becoming worldwide and the remedies shrouded in confusion.  In Syria, a murderous dictator, Bashar Assad, is supported by Russia, in part for fear that Chechen rebels training in Syria may attack the Winter Olympics in Sochi. The Cossacks, who helped build the empire, have been employed to keep the Chechens in check.   While America and Russia are preoccupied with the sysifisian task of disposing of chemical weapons in Syria and the rise of an Islamic tide among the Syrian rebels, the affiliates of Al Qaeda are launching a new wave of terror globally.   There have been numerous, bloody bomb attacks by Islamists in Iraq, including one against pro-American, Iranian refugees supposedly shielded by the U.S. The Muslim Brotherhood vies for power in Egypt.  The Taliban continues to kill government troops and allies in Afghanistan despite the presence of U.S and allied Western forces. 

The battle between Abu Sayyaf  Islamists and the army in the southern Philippines  has intensified in the last few weeks.  Yesterday, 9/21, a Somali group, Al Shabab, attacked shoppers in Kenya killing 59 people and injuring at least 200 including Americans and Canadians.  The terrorists yesterday asked the Muslims to leave and killed only non Muslims. The same day, terrorists in Pakistan killed 50 people in a Christian church.  Do the multiple horrors appear to preview Samuel Huntington’s thesis on the ultimate, worldwide clash of civilizations?

Surely there is an urgent need to coordinate the struggle against Islamist terrorist groups not only with NATO, but also other Great Powers, Russia in the Middle East and China in Southeast Asia.   In Kenya, a former British colony, the Brits could play a decisive role.  How can we better coordinate anti-islamist and anti-terrorist efforts aimed at preventing, pre-empting and avoiding the murder of innocents?  We hope to generate an international discussion around this crucial topic.