Anne Applebaum on the The Jihadi Elite

Anne Applebaum picks up on a theme we talked about on The Conservative Wahoo Live last week (archived here in the "On Demand" section)--the appeal of Jihadism to the elite of Islamic society. Notable in this column is the inclusion of Major Hasan Nidal in the pantheon of Islamofascist terrorists. Additionally, this paragraph got my attention:

"The case of Bayrak and her ilk also suggests the need for another kind of anti-terrorism strategy. Too often, we still consider public diplomacy to be a sort of public relations activity, the "promotion" of American values. Instead, we should think about it as an argument. The Bayraks and Balawis of this world are engaged in constant debates -- in Internet chat rooms, in the halls of publishing houses, in mosques. Are they hearing enough counterarguments? Are we helping the people who make the counterarguments? I suspect that they don't and I'm certain that we aren't -- nearly a decade after Sept. 11 -- and that has to change. Intellectuals may wear glasses and read books, but neither prevents them from throwing bombs -- or from strapping them inside their underwear. "

Bravo, Ms. Applebaum. Bravo. I'd like to see more commentators advocate taking Islamic Jihadism on--not attempting to accommodate it or apologize for Western Civilization. There is an argument to be won here, we just have to make it.