For decades, Israel developed ingenious ways to win battle after battle, even when it was repeatedly the underdog. But everything changed in 1982. Although it never realized it, Israel faced a new type of foe. The harder Israel fought, the stronger this enemy became. Israel, like the Spanish of the 1700s and today's U.S. military, was discovering what happens when a spider takes on a starfish.

Cut off a spider's leg, and you'll have a seven-legged cripple. Cut off its head, and you'll kill the spider. But cut off the starfish's arm, and not only will it regenerate, but the severed arm will actually grow an entirely new body. Starfish can achieve this remarkable feat because, unlike spiders, they lack central control—their organs are replicated across each arm. Starfish are decentralized.

Just like in nature, there are also starfish on the battlefield. Starfish forces don't have a leader, clear structure, or defined hierarchy. These seemingly chaotic qualities make Starfish unexpectedly resilient.

The Spanish learned this lesson the hard way. Like the Israelis, the Spanish Army of the 1500s was highly respected. Although outnumbered, the Spanish successfully conquered both the massive Aztec and Inca civilizations. But then the Spanish encountered the Apaches.

Unlike the Aztecs, the Apaches didn't have pyramids, roads, or even much of a government. Instead of chiefs, they had Nant'ans (the most famous of whom was Geronimo), who lacked authoritative power and instead led by example. When the Spanish killed a Nant'an, a new one would just take his palace. When they burned a village, the Apache became nomadic. The more they were attacked, the more decentralized and resilient the Apache became. For two centuries their starfish qualities enabled the Apaches to successfully stave off attacks by the Spanish, and later Mexicans, and then the Americans.

When you fight a starfish, all the rules change. Israel was used to fighting wars with spiders. It would cripple the spider's leg (e.g. grounding the Egyptian air force in the Six Day war), critically weakening it in the process. But in 1982, when Israel entered Lebanon, its spider strategies no longer worked. The more Israel attacked, the more distributed its opponent became. Israel would whack a terrorist cell on its head, but that just produced new cells to take their place. They'd assassinate strategic leaders, but again, new leaders would emerge. For the first time in its history, Israel faced a battle it didn't win.

The parallels to our current fight with al Qaeda are too striking to ignore. With each attack, we're making al Qaeda stronger. We destroy cells, only to have al Qaeda regenerate across the globe. We kill a leader, only to have a previously unknown terrorist take his place. The more we attack, the more decentralized al Qaeda becomes. We need to recognize that we're facing a starfish.

But there are three strategies that will work:

• Ideology : Given that we can't effectively go after al Qaeda's leadership or cells, we can counter the ideology that fuels it. Our relief efforts after the Kashmir earthquake represent such strategies. Each Chinook helicopter sent a strong message that Americans care and are there to help.
  
  
• Centralize the opponent : Why did the Apaches finally lose after 200 years of independence? Because of a simple program implemented by the American government. As compensation for moving to reservations, the Apache Nant'ans were given cows to distribute amongst the tribe. But in giving Nant'ans a scarce resource, the Americans gave them real, as opposed to symbolic, power. As a result, the Apaches became more centralized, and therefore much easier to control. Rather than going after al Qaeda's leadership, we should think of ways to make the organization more centralized.
  
  
• Decentralize ourselves : “It comes down to a game of soccer,” a senior special-ops officer said, describing U.S. efforts to combat terrorism. “It's like taking a soccer team, handing them a pigskin, and expecting them to be able to play football. Only, it's a different game. The rules aren't the same.” The kind of forces that could defeat al Qaeda would look much more like a special ops unit than a centralized army.

We have the strongest and most technologically advanced military in human history. It's time to take note of starfish and develop a winning strategy.