Is military force the best means to defeat terrorist groups?

hint? no. a report from the rand corporation delineates this, and it is discussed in the economist. both fascinating reads. here's kind of a key point:

These findings suggest that the U.S. approach to countering al Qa'ida has focused far too much on the use of military force. Instead, policing and intelligence should be the backbone of U.S. efforts.

wow. that sounds an awful lot like "diplomacy" rather than "warmongering." an even more relevant quote with which to conclude:

“there is no battlefield solution to terrorism.”

bingo. by the way, "rand" comes from an acronym for "research and development." its not like, "ayn rand," although given the insanely unproductive economics of the iraq war, im willing to bed that she would also hate it.