25 August 2014 - ISNT 2

OK then, on to option 2, one of the most frequently suggested, just bomb the IS until they ain’t. Similar plans worked perfectly for Dubya, with some of the worst consequences correctly timed to hit a president from the opposite party—extremists, after all, thrive on extremity, so you only have to understand the rhythm. One word of warning, though: You can’t bomb them back to the stone age. It’s tough to calibrate a bombardment so that people forget how to smelt iron.