Thread: "Think Like a Terrorist"

Terrorists are formidable opponents in a World War that is being waged against Western Culture and are well organized and extremely dedicated to achieving their aims - which are very entwined with their "Jihadi" or Holy War view of the world than they are with any specific dispute about any specific region. They are not a bunch of disorganized buffoons struggling valiantly to redeem their homeland.

What? You mean reclaiming the land from the evil zionists is not their aim?

Nothing succeeds for a Terrorist like Success. Terrorists interpret any withdrawal, concession, or sign of weakness as a strong Go signal. This was seen back in Lebanon in the 80's after the first VBIED caused the US to withdraw from the region. Instead, the weapon of suicide terror became viable and has grown in use until today. It was seen again when Israel withdrew from its security zone in Southern Lebanon.

Impossible. According to the left, George Bush is the problem. Terrorists will stop attacking us as soon as we withdraw from Iraq.

Terrorists have a different concept of time than we do in the West. Their time scale is vast and they see things in terms of their History. It took 200 years to dislodge the Crusaders from the Middle East in the Middle Ages and so the current struggle is in its infancy from their point of view. They are patient. They can wait.

...blah blah blah Iraq blah blah blah quagmire blah blah blah...

One of Islam's successful strategies against its opponents in Jihad has always been to lull the opponent into a false sense of security. This was done during the big Islamic Conquests of the 8th Century through the creation of treaties that were drawn up as part of a War strategy and revoked whenever it was felt to be the right moment. The Terrorist that sees security efforts dropping because people believe this is something that will happen to someone else is then ready to strike.

According to Michael Moore there is no terrorism...

Force has always played a very critical role in the Middle East. The most successful Israeli leaders have been those that have understood this. The least successful were those that thought they could negotiate. Force is a language that the terrorist understands; it is his natural language.

Yes, the force of diplomacy. We must reason with them. Exhaust all diplomatic means of dealing with the freedom fighters. We have to work with our international allies to achieve a diplomatic solution to the complex problem of the coexistance between Islam and the west so we can all enjoy a big group hug together with our fellow human beings from different background and different culture and blah blah blah...

/end John Kerry impersonation

Force has always played a very critical role in the Middle East. The most successful Israeli leaders have been those that have understood this. The least successful were those that thought they could negotiate. Force is a language that the terrorist understands; it is his natural language.

"Gentlemen, for the last fifteen years, I've fought at this table alongside your predecessors in the struggle against the Soviet. Now I do not wish to seem melodramatic, but I do wish to impress upon you a lesson I learned with bitter tears and great sacrifice. The Soviet understands only one language: action. Respects only one word: force."

Dean Acheson
Thirteen Days

Gunnut, you're scaring me, in REALLY big ways...

We need an emergency transfusion of left-wing-f*ck-nuts in here, fast, or we're gonna lose him, since it's obvious he's in withdrawal from the opposition he so desperately needs to remain focused and stable...

Gunnut, you're in Kalifornia... walk outside, it's you're only chance, and if you think you can hold-out, maybe a bus ticket to San Fran, Sacremento, or Berkeley.

Or I can just head over to Hollywood for some liberal smug...

tophatter,

"Gentlemen, for the last fifteen years, I've fought at this table alongside your predecessors in the struggle against the Soviet. Now I do not wish to seem melodramatic, but I do wish to impress upon you a lesson I learned with bitter tears and great sacrifice. The Soviet understands only one language: action. Respects only one word: force."

no doubt soviet planners thought the same of the US...and in the end, what led to the deathknell of the soviet union? their own economic system, and not so much US force.

the big problem i see with this article is that it engenders the idea that force is the only thing terrorists will ever understand. that is perhaps true of some terrorists (the likes of osama bin ladin, for example), but not all terrorists (say, sunni nationalists). many of these terrorists are open to negotiation, and finding out which terrorists are capable of being co-opted is an important part of any counterterrorist strategy (actually, something both the US military and iraq's government is trying to do today).