Military persuasion, intelligence and the war on terror

The central role of intelligence when addressing the threat of terrorism is addressed. While essential to the development and execution of any strategy, it is acknowledged that intelligence is vulnerable to the inevitable distortions of technical glitches and human nature. Recent inquiries in both the United States and the United Kingdom into the role of intelligence in the period leading to the invasion of Iraq well illustrate this point. The need for political and military leaders to comprehend the "otherness" of the opponent and its culture, leading to application in perceptions management and ideally "taking the high ground of moral influence away from the oppostion" is emphasized.