[dd74]

Originally posted by speeder
I think that this is a dangerous level of ignorance. What do you call it, "Fail to know thy enemy and win" (?)

One does not have to be a terrorist sympathiser in order to understand the motivations and timing behind specific attacks, in fact this info is a vital part of counter-terrorism. Writing them off as insane, (they are not), or blind, (wrong again), might play well in the truck stop in Nebraska but it doesn't really add anything to an intelligent discussion of fighting terrorism.

Organized terrorist groups that carry out coordinated attacks like 9/11, Madrid or London are large scale criminal enterprises, (cleverly decentralised in order to make investigating and destroying them next to impossible), with very specific goals. The widespread misunderstanding of what their goals are leads to ignorant statements to the effect that "they never accomplish what they set out to change", or your "negotiations" remark. Their goal is to terrorize and various terrorists have been hugely successful at it, (the bastards), and they have absolutely changed the world that we live in to one that is not better, that's for sure. Massive economic impact, wars and a measurable (huge) increase in the cost of oil spring to mind just from one attack. Not a bad ROI for a few thousand dollars and 19 lost lives on their side, wouldn't you agree? They even used our planes and buildings. Not the work of insane people, who would be babbling on a street corner somewhere about destroying America, but rather the work of pretty sophisticated and extremely murderous groups of people. I personally believe that it is better to understand these dangerous individuals as much as possible, and I would bet that the FBI, CIA and Naval intelligence agree.

There is no disagreement among civilized people about the need to prevent terrorism, only which methods are most effective. Rednecks yodeling and beating their chests while exclaiming that we should "turn the ME into glass" always looks like an AQ recruiting film to me, believe me, they could not be more pleased with this (predictable) response.

In response to suicide bombers, terrorist groups, etc., there is little to no difference between negotiation and capitulation. Trying to come to a level of understanding with fanatics is a futile exercise.