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Politics : Foreign Policy Discussion Thread -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: zonder who wrote (836)	12/19/2002 7:52:42 PM
From: Hawkmoon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 15987

Killing the crazies themselves is not a deterrent, you know, for they are happy dying in the jihad. As for their families, this sounds too mafiosi for my taste. I am sorry about this, but it is not what the Western world stands for. Indeed... it's brutal.. but life without civilization is brutal, and often short... And personally, it would bring me equal pleasure to great these militants their wish to meet Allah one on one.. Deliberate killing of innocents is a Very Bad Thing, remember? Not if it involves the family of a rogue dictator or terrorist who, demonstrably, show support/benefit for/from their activities... I remember when the Narcotraficante's of Colombia used to intimidate judges and officials in that country by sending them photographs of their children at play... And I'm not adverse to undertaking some similiar activities against these terrorist leaders who seem to take great delight in sending others out to die while they sit home safe and sound... I'm not expecting you to "bless" such activities Zonder.. It's a dirty job that should remain publically deniable as much as possible.. But at the most human level, they are often the most effective... After all, why did Saddam reportedly offer Ghaddafi $3 Billion to take care of his family?? It seems Saddam actually values something as well... And that is his weakness.. I would not count so much on The Islamic Republic of Iran <g> Actually, I would... They possess a young population which is already heavily westernized. And they have seen the result of 20 years of "Islamic Republic" government and are ready for a change... This is why the demographic trends amongst Muslims are so relevant here... They will either become a generation of progressive young adults, seeking a better economic life and families of their own.... Or they will become the mindless foot soldiers of militant fundamentalists who wish to use them as their cannon fodder in a battle against the west.... I know you feel all this is doable, but I have some reservations about this "Let's make democracies of all countries" thing in vogue around here these days. We won't know until we try... And they'll never be democracies if we don't put the wheels in motion with some urgency and force.. Hawk@notimelikethepresent.com