What would it take to keep the West safe from terrorism?

Remember the Pinkerton detective agency? More than 100 years ago, they became an unparalleled private force in the U.S., operating as everything from strike breakers to security guards to military contractors. It’s easy to see how an organization like that can become more of a problem than a solution. But it’s also easy to imagine how, today, rather than fighting domestic enemies, new private groups could battle foreign infiltrators and their homegrown associates with a degree of efficacy that nation-states and police forces struggle with.

Of course, such an approach would rightfully make a lot of Westerners fear that their civilization is going backwards, to a more violent, de-centered, and unequal time. Europeans especially would hark back to the bad old days of mercenary armies traipsing across the continent.

But Western governments know they are up against the wall and need help fast. Would it really be so surprising if anti-terror officials started thinking seriously about formally authorizing domestic operations by independent forces? They might not have any other choice.