[Aurel]

Terrorism, historically, can be classified in three categories:

#1- Geographical terrorism: a minority group is fighting for its independence against an oppressor that is more powerful. Since the minority group does not have an organized army, it uses terrorism to fight against its oppressor. The examples of this are numerous: The Irish against the British, the Palestinians against the Isareli, the Basques against the Spaniards, The Corses against the French…

#2- Ideological terrorism: a group with radical ideas wants to impose their ideology to the rest of their country, or to the world. Examples are communists, like the Rote Armee Faction, anarchists like the home-grown US terrorists, Religious like the Aum in Japan.

#3- Lone nut cases, or little groups with no special ideology or cause: School shootings are one example.

In the case of Al Quaeda, categories #1 and #2 could apply, and I believe that this is where a good debate can take place. There are those who say that if they were left alone in the first place, they would mind their own business, and all they want is `No infidels in their Holy Land`. And there are those say that what they want is destroy the western civilization, impose a radical version of Islam to the entire planet, which forces us to invade them and `democratize` them before they invade us…The irony of the whole situation, of course, is that they happen to be sitting on the world largest oil reserves. As a consequence, leaving them alone is not an option, and it almost looks like a happy coincidence that they are so threatening. But now, imagine what would happen if they spontaneously decided without any outside help to adopt all western values, democracy, abandon terrorism, and practice free trade of their oil, selling to the Japanese in Yens, to the Europeans in Euros, to the Chinese in Yuans and to the Americans in dollars. Would that be a satisfactory outcome to all of you ?

Aurel