>>>On this day in the year 632 AD Mohammed died. Perhaps Zarqawi will be given a special place wherever he may be.
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>>>I recall months ago some television news “expert” stated that if and when Zarqawi was eliminated that there would be many people waiting to take his place. Another statement from the same person was that he expected many splinter groups being formed should Zarqawi die.
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>>I think that is true as a general statement about al-Qaeda and other Islamic fundamentalist groups, and is one of the reasons I don't like it being called a "war on terror." In a conventional war there are armies, governments, leaders, surrenders. In this case there is no one to surrender, and each incrememtal victory only inspires a new generation of zealots and martyrs. Bombing them to rubble may be momentarily satisfying but it will not be a successful long term strategy.
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>Mike;
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>Very true!
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>When you attempt to convert someone’s belief system you will meet opposition. It may be felt immediately or within the course of time. Examples include Vietnam who historically had to deal with the Chinese, Japanese, French and the United States. China also is a good example of attempts to change a countries belief system. In this case I am referring to a belief system as political, economic, religious, territorial, and military entities.
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>In the case of China, Mao Tse-tung in a book he wrote in the 1930’s made a statement that I will always remember. “As long as there is one Guerrilla, there is war”! Guerrilla warfare can be compared to terrorists. We saw a form of terrorism in Vietnam. Is that 5-year-old child going to blow you up? What is in the minds of the people around you? Who is the “good guy” and who is the “bad guy”? You will never truly know. As long as there is one terrorist there is war.
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>Conventional war methods will not work against terrorism. Your next-door neighbor may be a terrorist. A terrorist may live anywhere in the world and act singularly or in harmony with others. Terrorists come in all sizes, shapes and colors. Just think of Timothy McVay as an example.
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>The cold war was balanced by the thought that if one side attempted to destroy the other then the world would cease to exist. Some terrorists do not care if the world ends or not. How do you stop terrorism? You have to reach the hearts and minds of people but we are all different in how we act and react. Regardless of what approach we take there will always be “problems”.
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>Tom


Well said.