Alan, I do not discount the Bin Laden theory.
It could well be the best one on the table. He was, after all, responsible for the bombings of the US Embassies at Nairobi and Daar es Salaam and the USS Cole. But, having said this, what can the US do about it?
It's one thing to talk but quite another thing to actually put thousands of live American boys and girls on Afgani soil just to hunt what is effectively a ghost. And the cost? In all probability, the US would have to take on Pakistan, the Taliban, Iran, and in a terrain which is quite unfamiliar to the US but where, previously, the British and the USSR armies have been defeated ignominiously. And, don't sneeze at that. In its day, a century ago, Britain was a superpower and the USSR was too.
I have to say that I am dreadfully sorry for the US, for all those who died and their families and friends, but I am equally worried that the US administration doesn't do something stupid now, simply to "save face". If ever there was a time to be "cool", it's now.
If you haven't yet, you must read Sun Tzu "The Art of War". It is a classic which lay next to my bed for many years. I have read it and read it. Here's a copy for $6 -- it's worth $600! dogbert.abebooks.com
Fortunately, I do believe Colin Powell has read the book and knows it well. As an ex-military man, I have confidence that he won't allow the US to be drawn into a trap or a conflict from which it can never extricate itself. As for the others, well, you can go on your bended knees that gung-ho Madeleine Albright is no longer Secretary of State. |
