Can The United States Defeat Al Qaeda

America wins its wars by clearly 'defeating' its enemies. Yet the 'defeat' of an enemy has had a particularly context related to the American way of conducting and concluding wars. Historically, American wars have been wars fought against nation-states and the U.S. wins such wars by destroying the adversary's military power and thereby both its ability and its will to continue fighting. The war is concluded with a cessation of hostilities, followed by a negotiated peace.