AP Photo

Imagine that every day, the media were reporting a new outbreak of jihad warfare across the Muslim world, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, across the Middle East and North Africa, and deep into Central Asia. Imagine moreover that this violence was not confined to isolated terrorist incidents, but involved vast well-organized armies, some tens of thousands strong, many with modern weapons. And in some instances, jihadi forces have overwhelmed European armies, slaughtering thousands of infidels. Surely, this sounds like the ultimate fantasy of an al-Qaeda chieftain, and if such a thing ever did occur, it would be indelibly preserved in the history books. Few would deny claims of a worldwide clash of civilizations, and of faiths. In fact, those events did happen precisely as described,...