The main objective of al-Qaeda and other global jihadists is to federate while decentralising, and to place an ideology that was once marginal in the heart of the Muslim and Arab world. Our main objective must be to divide and marginalise; but this is also our main difficulty, because many of our actions have had the opposite result. This is particularly true of the Bush administration's 'global war on terror'. Some European policies have also inadvertently reinforced Bin Laden's claim to represent all Muslim grievances. To be effective, our policies must deal in a differentiated manner with three different circles: al-Qaeda in its 11 September incarnation; terrorist movements which, though permeable to global Islamist ideology, nevertheless have local objectives and roots; all those in the Muslim and Arab world who may feel increasingly attracted to jihadist ideology and feel compelled to transform their discontent into action.