Peter,

>>>That country must have done something awkward that caused this attack.
>>
>>No, I'm not saying that. But something must have triggered it. There is always a reason. In the case of the US it is hard to ignore its foreign politics and prior wars in various parts of the world. It is not hard to imagine that this might have triggered the seeding grounds for terrorism against the united states.

>There is a difference between 'reason' and 'cause'. Reason is always an intent by one or more humans. Cause is the logical precondition, to put it simply, perhaps too simply. For sure there have been behaviors and actions that actually were causal factors. And for sure, certain behaviors and actions can be regarded as negative, by you or by me or by Mohammed or by Joe Dud. But that is not enough to hold the US responsible for 9/11. Doing so is called blaming, only to restore the idea that it is a just world afterall.

I do not blame the US for 9/11, that would be having disrespect for the US. OTOH, it is also very ignorant to ignore the message from your enemy. Just listen what they are saying, read between the lines and learn a lesson. This by no means tells you to give what they want, In fact, I agree that terrorism should be eliminated at all costs. But do it intelligently, rather than hanging out GI joe and burn everything to the ground. I'm not religious at all, but one thing jesus said is carved in my mind: Though shall love your enemies.

I assume that you've read the newspapers about the decision to make to send dutch troops to afganistan. I don't know if you read that article about the remarks from a dutch commander about the american attitude and the consequences it has for the public opinion in those countries. I'm sure you aware what the difference is between dutch and american approaches for keeping peace. They are indeed different. Don't get me wrong, they both have their place. The american army is superious in burning something into the ground and overwhelm the enemy. However I do not have as much of a high opinion of their peacekeeping qualities, esspecially in these kind of countries. The UN-forces have much more experience in this respect.


Walter,