Is our current strategy against terrorism working?

[Whaleboy]

From your mouth to God's ear

Sorry im slow tonight, want to elaborate on that one?

Abbas then could control Hamas or eliminate them, I would be all for it

Give it time, put my plan into action, and a minor miracle may occur. Worth a shot imo, anything to stop children of either side being killed.

[Defiant]

Sorry, my phrase means, I hope God is listening and takes you up on it.

[Az]

Abbas has said that he won't act physically against Hamas.

[Whaleboy]

well... due to my name perhaps I have more chance than most (its my surname btw, not some egotistical attempt to make myself seem biblical)

[Whaleboy]

I hardly think that ones subjective desire to destroy another culture, simply because one perceives it to be obsolete, is justification.

Millions of people in that culture would disagree, what makes you know better?

[Imran Siddiqui]

Abbas has said that he won't act physically against Hamas.

Yeah, cause he wants to have a job.. but he's a politician, if he can change his tune, he probably will .

[Whaleboy]

I will last longer in bed than Abbas' political career!

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Oerdin
Look up the battle of Algiers. The French broke the primary terrorist network by torturing every terrorist they captured until he gave up the man above him. They kept that up until they got to the big man himself then they shot him.

Don't forget to mention we tortured about every Algerian we wanted, it sufficed to say he/she was "suspect" or "could know something".

BTW, the Battle of Algiers, despite being a military victory, was the beginning of the end of the Algeria war for the French, and precipitated the political defeat of the Algeria war. The rebels/terrorists had what they wanted in the end (and I'm very glad so).

[Dinner]

Originally posted by elijah
I will last longer in bed than Abbas' political career!

Especially since your still waiting for a willing girl.

[Whaleboy]

Ah well, I got low standards, it really doesnt matter! jk

[Spiffor]

About the topic :

So far, war on terror has been the use of secret police and the use of conventional military against Afghanistan. It has also been a desastrous PR towards the Arab countries, especially during Gulf War 2.

However, more subtle measures are underway : the road-map for Israel is an attempt to soothe the Arabic population by stopping the violence between Israel and Palestine ; some see the Iraqi reconstruction as an attempt to show Arabs that the Yanks can improve their conditions ; and lastly, the lower relative weight of Saudi Arabia on the world market will lessen terrorism's financing.

Even though these measures are much less noisy, PR wise, than wars, they can be efficient at long term, as they attempt to cut the long term support for terrorist groups. The only way to destroy terrorist groups is not to exterminate them : it is to make sure they can't regenerate. Let's hope the current measures will work in this domain.

[Whaleboy]

Nonetheless, am I to take it that military action against terrorists, in order for it to succeed in the long term, would entail the destruction of that culture?

[Edan]

Originally posted by Defiant
Lets use Israel and Palestine,
If Israel was to use maxium effort in their military to all Palestine territory and then settled right behind, over a hundred years, I don't see how Palestine could survive, the obviouse difference being, the rest of the world would not let it happen.

Why not, they let it happen in lots of other places in the world....

(Not tht that makes it right )

[Edan]

Re: Is our current strategy against terrorism working?

Has there ever been an example of force working against terrorism?

The Atalena.
And the '56 war proved to be an effective detterant against Egyptian terrorism and fedayeen raids.

[Defiant]

I wouldn't say destruction of that culture or people but more like assimilation. Once the beaten parties children start going to the victor's school the learning curve has just been changed to be more similar to the victors.