Quote:
Originally Posted by astralis
bluesman,
wouldn't it be possible to say that this is a war where things MAY and probably WILL happen to us, but that we will never lose?
this is much like when the japanese struck pearl harbor- the greater the tactical victory, the worse their strategic defeat as you enrage the american people and ensure that it is a fight to the finish.
look at it this way: the fall of the towers and the pentagon was exchanged for the elimination of most of al-qaeda, the invasion and occupations of both afghanistan and iraq.
now if any goddam' terrorist, and let us say he is iranian, strikes the US with a nuke, for some reason i highly doubt the US public would call for anything but turning the whole of iran into radioactive dust. as you see, the harder the terrorists strike, the stronger the national will of the US, which you correctly point out to be a major problem in our implementation of the WoT. so either way...this is a war we're going to win.
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Astralis,
Your view is one that I have considered. However, I have realized that the Iranians could destroy a target more precious to us than their entire country. That is, if Hezbollah destroyed New York with a nuclear weapon, then it is true that we could destroy Iran (or Hezbollah Lebanon for that matter). However, that doesn't change the fact that the greatest city on earth would be gone. The satisfaction I would get from seeing Iran and Hezbollah destroyed pales compared to the sorrow I would feel at the loss of one of our major cities.
Therein lies the danger of nuclear or biochemical terrorism. A small group of people properly armed can cause inordinate damage. We have seen that with 9/11 already. Even if we caught Osama bin Laden and tortured him and were assured of the death of all Al Qaeda members, that would never replace the Twin Towers. I considered those buildings wonders of the modern world, and they may never be replaced.
For these reasons, I find it hard to rationally predict the effects of terrorism on a large scale. Having never lived through the destruction of one of our cities, we should be hesitant to say that such as loss could be assuaged through the death of the enemy.