The mountebanks & the apostates

As the Bush administration began its war on terror, it turned to the wrong people for policy advice. Uninformed pundits and shadowy security types were given a free hand, and they lumped all Islamists together. When academics criticized this approach, they were shut out of the corridors of power. But it turns out the Middle East specialists were right all along. The best way to win the fight against the jihadists is to expose them as a violent fringe.