The Only way to Stop this Threat of Al Queda is to...

[BigRob]

...but they became disunited and started in-fighting as there was no common enemy that could be used as a rallying cry!

Which is the problem in Iraq and Afghanistan. Internal kerfuffles are no big deal they can take pot shots at each other all day long but as soon as a foreign non-muslim force is brought in then you immidiately introduce a dynamic that unites all these disparate groups against a single cause!

But Iraq is not fighting each other really at the moment.. the common enemy now is Al-Qaeda...

 

[The Scotsman]

But Iraq is not fighting each other really at the moment.. the common enemy now is Al-Qaeda...

....and Al-Qaeda is what exactly....Pashtun Tribesman......dissaffected Pakistanis from Leeds or London......Egyptian Islamic scholars in Hamburg......peasant farmers from Sarawak.......

I think this is the problem, we cannot really identify what it is we want to acheive and against whom. The "other side" has a focus; a rallying cry!

Yeah I agree that "relatively" speaking Iraq is quite but when the coalition leaves..... god knows! Afghanistan is going down the toilet though!

 

[BigRob]

....and Al-Qaeda is what exactly....Pashtun Tribesman......dissaffected Pakistanis from Leeds or London......Egyptian Islamic scholars in Hamburg......peasant farmers from Sarawak.......

I think this is the problem, we cannot really identify what it is we want to acheive and against whom. The "other side" has a focus; a rallying cry!

Yeah I agree that "relatively" speaking Iraq is quite but when the coalition leaves..... god knows! Afghanistan is going down the toilet though!

I dunno, I think that Al-Qaeda coming in from all over has really turned public opinion in many places in the Middle East against them.

Many look at what they were trying to do in Iraq, which was start a Civil War, and they see Muslim killing Muslim as not the way to do this, and it turns people against Al-Qaeda.

That said, I think we had two options in Iraq.

1) Pull out. This (at the time) would have guaranteed a civil war that would have been blamed on the United States. I think that this would have not only given the extremists their "rallying call" but also alienated the moderates because they see the US as backing out of our word.

2) Stay. Yes it was going to get violent, and yes it was going to be hard, but since we stayed, we have been able to turn public opinion against Al-Qaeda not only in Iraq, but I would argue in many other places as well. Further, moderate Arabs still view the US legitimately because we have kept our word.

Given the two options that we were presented with, I think we made the correct call by not pulling out because long run it stabilizes Iraq and also diminishes the Al-Qaeda threat, which was a goal in the overall "war on terror."

 

[Federal Farmer]

I think this is the problem, we cannot really identify what it is we want to acheive and against whom.

With all due respect my friend, we DO have a VERY good idea what it is that we want to achieve, and against whom;

Or as my Sergeant used to say, "The beatings will now commence, and will continue until morale improves!!!"

 

[Dawkinsrocks]

Big Bob, do you know anything about Al Qaeda apart from what you hear on Fox news and from your dickhead of a president who keeps calling them Al Kader?

 

[GenSeneca]

Big Bob, do you know anything about Al Qaeda apart from what you hear on Fox news and from your dickhead of a president who keeps calling them Al Kader?

What does your Socialist State Run Media have to say? I'm sure they are far more credible than the Free Press here in America...

 

[Dawkinsrocks]

Are you big bob?

Well, whoever you are, let's see.

Does anybody in the world report that the US has captured Bin Laden?

No, I don't think so.

A trillion dollars spent, over 500,000 people killed, mostly civilians but the most powerful nation on earth can't catch a beardy guy in a cave.

You might be led to thinking they don't want to catch Bush's old mate.

 

[GenSeneca]

over 500,000 people killed, mostly civilians

Just to be clear... you are crediting ALL the civilians killed by Terrorist as if they were killed by the US, are you not?

As usual... you FAIL to provide any sources. Probably can't find a Non-Socialist source to back your claims and figures....

 

[Dawkinsrocks]

The US has killed millions more than those branded as terrorists.

The US IS the world's biggest terroist

 

[The Scotsman]

With all due respect my friend, we DO have a VERY good idea what it is that we want to achieve, and against whom;

......which is?

If it was positively proved that Bin Laden was in fact killed in a US missile strike on a village in Wasiristan would that constitute and end to the WoT? Probably not.......okay then, what if Afghanistan was completely disarmed and pacified would that do it? Probably not.....

where does the game end?

 

[Not Amused]

What does your Socialist State Run Media have to say? I'm sure they are far more credible than the Free Press here in America...

I am crying with laughter right now. You really believe you have a free press in the US? Oh the naivety!

 

[Federal Farmer]

......which is?

If it was positively proved that Bin Laden was in fact killed in a US missile strike on a village in Wasiristan would that constitute and end to the WoT? Probably not.......okay then, what if Afghanistan was completely disarmed and pacified would that do it? Probably not.....

where does the game end?

It ends when the terrorists are all either DEAD, or have quit blowing things up and killing innocent people, and start acting like civilized human beings. When did the "mates from Hereford" stop? When did GSG-9 stop? When did Mossad stop? When did DGSE stop?

I still remember when Badder-Meinhof, Red Army Faction, Action Directe, and Black September (among others) were running around Europe, blowing things up, killing innocent people and all of the other crap that terrorists do, and the only "end game" was when they were either dead, or in prison, and the same thing applies here.

 

[Dawkinsrocks]

It might help if the US stoppped doing it

 

[Dawkinsrocks]

The idea that it is proven that Bin Laden has been killed but that the Bush administration has not made political capital of the event and nor has it been reported on every news station around the world is probably the most bizarre claim I have ever heard.

Anyone who believed something so ridiculous is probably in need of psychiatric help.

 

[GenSeneca]

The idea that it is proven that Bin Laden has been killed but that the Bush administration has not made political capital of the event and nor has it been reported on every news station around the world is probably the most bizarre claim I have ever heard.

Anyone who believed something so ridiculous is probably in need of psychiatric help.

Hey Mr. Socialism... Nobody has said any such thing as you have stated... Are you just practicing your strawman argument? Perhaps you're talking to yourself again?