Despite its strengths and electoral appeal, the US doctrine on the 'war on terror' takes too little account of the history of the subject. The struggle should be presented, not just as a fight against evil or as a defence of freedom, but also as a fight against tragically erroneous ideas. It should be seen as a means of ensuring that the societies from whence terrorism comes do not succumb to endemic violence. It needs to encompass close aftention to after-care in societies that have been torn apart by terrorism. An important aim must be the relegation of terrorists to a status of near-irrelevance as long-standing grievances are addressed and peoples can see that a grim terrorist war of attrition is achieving little and damaging their own societies.