[Allrightnow]

I absolutely disagree. It is the only thing that works. You mean to tell me that if we had not fire bombed Tokyo and followed it up with Hiroshima and Nagasaki that the Japanese would have surrendered? If we had not bombed the major cities of Germany proper that the Nazi's would have just stopped where they were?

The first reaction of a person after his neighborhood has been bombed is surely one of anger and outrage. Sooner or later though the most basic law of human nature will prevail; self preservation. Some of these people are willing to give their lives for Allah but my money's on most of them wanting to continue existing.

[Poohbah]

I absolutely disagree. It is the only thing that works. You mean to tell me that if we had not fire bombed Tokyo and followed it up with Hiroshima and Nagasaki that the Japanese would have surrendered?

In 1945, the Japanese government was looking for a way to surrender that wouldn't give the fire-eaters an excuse for overthrowing the government. The atomic bomb gave them that out. However, what made it a safe means of surrender was its newness; that factor no longer works in our favor. Even then, it was still a very near-run thing--the fire-eaters damn near overran the Imperial Palace the night before Hirohito's speech was broadcast.

The presence or absence of the 20th Air Force's firebombing efforts would not have made a significant difference in this equation. The Japanese government knew the war was lost--the question was whether Japan would commit national suicide like the fire-eaters in the Army wanted.

If we had not bombed the major cities of Germany proper that the Nazi's would have just stopped where they were?

The original draft of the United States Strategic Bombing Survey (the one that the Air Force burned every copy of to prevent embarrassing news from getting out) concluded that the "Mighty Eighth" and RAF Bomber Command's bombing efforts actually lengthened the war, because (a) they didn't destroy vital industrial targets and (b) convinced the German populace that they were equal partners with the Wehrmacht in fighting the war. It stiffened their resolve considerably.

The first reaction of a person after his neighborhood has been bombed is surely one of anger and outrage. Sooner or later though the most basic law of human nature will prevail; self preservation.

The historical record does not support your contention. A policy of deliberately devastating urban areas has been tried on three separate occasions. On two of those occasions, it was manifestly a failure; on the third, it was irrelevant to success.

Some of these people are willing to give their lives for Allah but my money's on most of them wanting to continue existing.

Maybe you would behave like that; the vast majority of people around the world wouldn't.