Blowing Up An Assumption

The New York Times ^ | 05/18/05 | Robert A. Pape

[lsilver5]

MANY Americans are mystified by the recent rise in the number and the audacity of suicide attacks in Iraq. The lull in violence after January's successful elections seemed to suggest that the march of democracy was trampling the threat of terrorism. But as electoral politics is taking root, the Iraqi insurgency and suicide terrorism are actually gaining momentum. In the past two weeks, suicide attackers have killed more than 420 Iraqis working with the United States and its allies. There were 20 such incidents in 2003, nearly 50 in 2004, and they are on pace to set a new record this year.

[lsilver5]

Robert Pape fails to realize several facts. (1) He does not include suicide bombers from the past three years, when the situation in Fundamental Islam hardened. (2) The attacks on the Twin Towers and Pentagon were not on foreigh soil. (3) The connection between territory and Islam cannot be severed. Fundamentalists wish to control all countries where Muslims live. Arab terrorists in Israel were always Fundamentalists, who wanted to create an Islamic state of Palestine. Saudi Arabia, possible our worst enemy, spauns the terrorists--not because we have occupation of Saudi Arabia, but because of Whabbism.

[Sidebar Moderator]

Do you have a link for this?

[mad puppy]

"The presence of nearly 150,000 American combat troops in Iraq since 2003 can only give suicide terrorism a boost..."

Before US Troops went overseas, 3 planes got hijacked. If Muslims don't care for occupation, I'd encourage them to clean their own house and stop trying to burns ours down. If they can't do that, they'd better get used to seeing a US flag on the sleeve of an armed solder driving a tank down their street.

[shamusotoole]

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/18/opinion/18pape.html?

You are welcome.

[Sidebar Moderator]

Thanks :-)

[Louis Foxwell]

Radical Islam is no more religious than any other gangster conspiracy. It threatens the fabric of the Muslim religion. If Muslim leaders cannot end the slaughter of innocents by their own madmen, Mohammedanism will fall as a failed religion.
The next step in this war will be to outlaw certain extremist Islamic cults. It will be incumbent upon peace loving Muslims to support this effort. Their failure to do so will lump them with the Messianic butchers who claim the heart of their faith. This will sound the death knell of the Muslim faith globally.
There is no question but that extremism and butchery hold sway in much of the Muslim world. This must be changed. Recent murderous riots over the thought of Biblical desecration are illustrative of a culture out of control. The rioters murdered their own out of rightous indignation.
The riots demonstrate the failure of Muslim leaders to teach its basic tenents. Those who teach that murder and mayhem are the fullest expression of the Muslim faith must be outlawed and brought to justice in a Muslim court. If Muslims can not police themselves it will be done for them.

[lsilver5]

link is http://www.nytimes.com of May 18

[Mind-numbed Robot]

The author is correct that the cause of tyranny has adopted religion as a front and a recruiting tool. The left is using the Islamists to further their goal of stamping out democracy. However, he seems at times to lose his way in his argument by blaming the response to terrorism as the cause of terrorism, i.e the presence of U.S. troops.

When he cites acts of terrorism as starting only after certain interventions he fails to note the the interventions were against a tyrannical government who were practicing terrorism on their own citizens under the guise of law. Those who abuse their own do so to maintain power and to eliminate dissent. Democracy would be the death knell to them and their power.

When someone, usually the USA, intervenes on the side of the citizens they then resort to terrorism as a tactic to regain their power. To blame the USA for that, which is what the MSM often does, is firing at a false target to protect the real perpetrators.

[lsilver5]

Robert,

Your comments hit the nail directly on the head. In addition, I might add that if the United States has recently had any altruistic motives, and I believe that we have, they have been completely destroyed by insurgents and suicide bombers. Israel has. amazingly, lost all credibility with soft western democracies because she has struggeled to defend herself against suicide bombers and the whole of Radical Islam.