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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: cnyndwllr who wrote (130324)	4/28/2004 4:43:54 PM
From: Hawkmoon	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 281500

I don't think I'm partially wrong in saying that you cannot "intimidate and cow ideological terrorists by the use of massive force" and, additionally in saying that that attempt to do so simply plays into their hands. However, apparently these ideological terrorists CAN INTIMIDATE AND COW non-ideological people with a show of force.. I guess the question is do we really believe in democracy enough to be willing to make the same sacrifices the militants are willing to make in spreading their Theo-Fascism... And the non-ideologically inclined understand this.. These are the people caught in the middle, who have ALWAYS been subjugated to the domination of militant elitists willing to intimidate them into submission. And they do submit, because they can't defend themselves.. They have families, businesses, and visions of a future that essentially asks that people just "live and let live".. But the Militant refuse to let them be.. They know that they can control and dominate them. They know they can extort money from them (Zakat). They know that Iraq, with the second largest reserves of oil in the world, combined with their goal of controlling Saudi Arabia, would put them in a position to dictate terms to the industrialized world. it's a grave mistake to underestimate an enemy as committed and popularly supported as these groups have shown themselves to be. And apparently it's a grave mistake to believe that people such as yourself can truly understand what is at stake in Iraq, if not the entire Middle East.. And that's sad. And it harkens the possibility that millions of more people will wind up dying years from now when the militants have seized control by means of their social and religious terrorism. History shows that the battle to civilize the world is a marathon, not a sprint. Is it now?? America came into existence in an abrupt political and economic epiphany and inspired radical political change throughout Europe. Japan lifted itself from the ashes of defeat and created one of the most vibrant economies in the world. Korea emerged from being a backward colony and also emerged. China is just starting to overcome the decades of totalitarian oppression and commencing some major (and hopefully irreversible) progress towards becoming a free and vibrant economy.. But the middle east continues to lag behind.. And were I an muslim, I would begin to start asking myself some hard questions as why this is the case.. And it's our job to ensure that muslim youth in the region have access to more than the answer the militants want to force down their throats. Our headlong sprint to use overwhelming military strength to win the submission of those that oppose us will, in the midterm and long term, result in immeasurably more harm than good., And what about THEIR overwhelming use of terrorism to win the submission of moderate and peaceful muslims? It's taken Iran almost 20 years for that population to show the first major signs of disaffection with repressive and puritanical Theocracy.. Do we want to wait 20 more years and endure the same situation in Iraq and Saudi Arabia? Hawk