Terrorists losing?

David Ignatius argues that they are in the Washington Post:

Looking at the gruesome images of beheadings and suicide bombings in Iraq, it's easy to think that the Islamic holy warriors are winning. But a new book by a distinguished French Arabist named Gilles Kepel argues the opposite case. For all the mayhem the jihadists have caused, he contends, their movement is failing. ... Perhaps it takes an outsider -- a Frenchman, even -- to help Americans see the war on terrorism in perspective. Saturated in terrorism alerts and images of violence from Iraq, Americans may miss the essential fact that the terrorists are losing. And because we see this as a war against America, rather than one within Islam, we may miss the real dynamics.

He has some interesting perspectives. I think the jury is still out on who is winning or losing, but in balance I think our side has the advantage. In some ways the terrorists themselves are our best propaganda. Few Muslims wanted to live under conditions like Taliban controled Afghanistan. Fallujah under terrorist control is a similar advertisment to Iraqi's of what their options are. In some ways I think this is the best justification for our pullout from Fallujah in April (a very controversial decision).