Of course, the “World War” reference may be intended to create an “us” versus “them” logic, but this does not correspond to the nature of the challenge posed by radical Islam, given the complexity and the many divisions that exist within the Muslim world. Indeed, by militarizing our thinking, it renders us incapable of finding the right answers, which must be as much political as security-oriented.
首先，第三次世界大战是在何时何地发生的？冷战，单从它从来没有变“热”来看，就完全与第一次或第二次世界大战等同而言。当然，与“世界大战”联系起来也许是为了制造一个“我们”与“他们”对抗的逻辑，但是这与原教旨伊斯兰主义带给我们的挑战的性质并不相吻合，尤其是考虑到穆斯林世界内部的复杂性以及多个派别的存在。事实上，当我们的思想变得好战时，我们就无法寻找到正确的答案。而正确的答案不但应该以安全为核心，同时也要考虑政治因素。