Originally posted by Elfie
That said, all countries need to band together to fight this threat. Terrorism needs to be stamped out. A *new global war on terrorism* shouldnt be taken as an insult by anyone. In my view each country trying to deal with terrorists on their own is far less effective than everyone joining forces to combat this together.
Originally posted by someone else
If other European nations are hit as hard will they also join, or will they be appeasers?
Sigh...................Elfie where have you been? Many, many countries have banded together in the 'global war on terror' since 911 and before. Look at all the countries involved in Afghanistan. Even countries like Germany who were against the war in Iraq. The message has been received and understood some time ago. Almost every country in Europe has been 'hit as hard' with a terrorism problem, ditto for South America and Asia. America had the worst terrorist attack in history but none since. The war on terror is being fought outside America by everyone.
'Terrorism needs to be stamped out' but it won't be. Terrorism has been around since the sixties in one form or other and it won't be stamped out. It can only be minimised. You can't win against terrorists. It's an endless war that cannot be won militarily only politically.
Russia's problem is Chechnya. Remove the reason for terrorism and it fades. Repression begats terror and terror begats repression. It's a vicious circle.
America and everybody else's problem is Al Qaeda. They see freedom and liberal democracy as a threat to their fundamentalism. That's because it is a threat to their version of Islam. The only way to beat them is to maintain our freedom and spread it around while trying to keep a lid on the extremists. You can't kill an idea with precision munitions. In the end Al Qaeda will only be defeated when other Muslims no longer support them and no new recruits join up. As it happens Al Qaeda have probably killed more Muslims than Christians and others. That will tell against them eventually. Suicide bombing is particularly self defeating as it uses up the most devout followers. Give it ten years or so, maybe there will be progress by then.
But of course a new cause will come along which justifies murdering children and dismembering bus or airline passengers.
