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Cosmic wars, as opposed to traditional conflicts focused on land or politics, are fought over ideologies and historically have produced no compromise, negotiation or surrender. According to Reza Aslan, the U.S., in its “war on terror,” is fighting a cosmic war with no end in sight. He says that “it is time not just to abandon the phrase ‘war on terror’ but to admit that the ideological struggle against radical Islam could never be won militarily. The battle for the hearts and minds of Muslims will take place not in the streets of Baghdad or in the mountains of Afghanistan but in the suburbs of Paris, the slums of East London and the cosmopolitan cities of Berlin and New York. In the end, the most effective weapon in countering the appeal of groups such as Al Qaeda may be the words we use.”


Currently, Reza Aslan is a Middle East analyst for CBS News and often is a featured blogger for “Anderson Cooper 360” on CNN. Aslan's first book was The New York Times bestselling No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, which has been translated into thirteen languages and nominated for a PEN USA award for research non-fiction. Aslan’s most recent book, How to Win a Cosmic War: God, Globalization, and the End of the War on Terror, was released in early April of 2009. Born in Iran, he now lives in Los Angeles where he is assistant professor of Creative Writing at the University of California, Riverside.

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