The media widely reported the observation that the global war on terror has now lasted longer than the Second World War. But they are measuring the Long War using the wrong yardstick. The Cold War, which pitted political, ideological and economic adversaries against each other for over 45 years, would be a more appropriate comparison. This war is a protracted test of ideologies, against an enemy whose stated intention is nothing less than to destroy our free and democratic way of life.