Hi Peter,

>This will not mean an end to terrorism but it will bring a respite. Declaring war on the Taliban will only increase their resolve and the number of their recruits.

Well if it doesn't mean an end to terrorism then what's the point? You cannot negotiate with religious fanatics. It's never worked and wouldn't now. Furthermore, it would present us as a weak nation and give their demands undeserved legitimacy. And, last but not least, it would cheapen the lost lives of those in those buildings on 9/11.

We declared war on, and helped successfully eradicated, Nazism and the formal Japanese bushido code. Ask your contemporary German or Japanese citizen if he or she is happy or would prefer to live within those forms of government.

The Taliban are a scourge on humanity. They repress their own people. They support international terrorism. The Afghani people, with a long and proud tradition, deserve better.