ARE WE FIGHTING A COSMIC WAR?

In his book 'How to Win a Cosmic War' the author Reza Aslan argues against a 'war on terror' for a reason that seems a little unorthodox to say the least. He says that it means fighting jihadists on their own ground rather than the West choosing the battlefield in its own time and its own way. Reza Aslan is an associate professor at the University of California. Aslan believes we are fighting what he terms as a cosmic war, and that we need to reassess the way in which the West addresses its approach to fundamental Islamic terrorism.

Listen to the interviews below with the author - one with Tony Jones (video)and the other with Mark Colvin of the ABC PM broadcast (podcast & Transcript)- and decide: 
1. to what extent you agree with Reza Aslan's conceptualization of a 'cosmic war' ; and 
2. whether this should have informed the West's approach to a 'war on terror' after 9/11, and currently against the 'Islamist' motives of ISIS/

PODCAST FROM ABC PM PROGRAM MAY 18, 2010: CLICK HERE
TRANSCRIPT OF THE SAME INTERVIEW: CLICK HERE