More hatred, more terrorism
In small steps, the US is advancing towards a long war of attrition with all Islamic terrorists, both Sunni and Shiite. So far, hatred of America has inflamed mostly Sunni terrorists led by Al Qaeda but the Shiites may be just a few steps behind.
Sunni rage resulted in 9/11/2001 and its aftermath including bomb attacks in Madrid and London, and the current terrorist plots in Britain, Germany and Denmark. It has also turned Iraq into a factory to manufacture battle hardened Sunni terrorists.
Soon Shiite hearts might be ablaze if the Iranian government, leader of Shiite Islam, is humiliated in coming weeks. At this time, it seems plausible that America will bomb Iran before yearend. Almost certainly, it will impose severe economic and other sanctions.
But Americans will not be safer since Shiite Islam and the wider Islamic street, including Muslims born in the West, will become more fervent recruiting grounds for terrorists. It would be far better for Washington to take a deep breath, listen a little more carefully and have a frank dialogue for peace and security with Iran.
This is not appeasement. This is forethought because Iran does have security concerns and national interests that deserve open-minded hearing in bilateral talks before going to naked war. So far, it is not a predator regime seeking riches by conquering foreigners. Nor is it demanding pay off before lifting an imminent and direct military threat to America.
In this war of attrition, America will not be able to score decisive victories as in the 20th century’s Great Wars since the terrorists live in the homeland. Many are American and European citizens bred here.
Attacking or even destroying the nation of Iran may have no substantive effect because hatred will continue to grow among the homeland’s Muslims. Most may react moderately but it takes just a few angry persons to cause and continue carnage.
Such persons wear suicide belts in the name of Islam; they are not much concerned with the traditional Shiite vs. Sunni divide. In this sense, they are more unpredictable and dangerous than terrorists emerging from Shiite or Sunni lands.
This scenario can be prevented if most Americans realize that readiness to use US military power causes frightened opponents to adopt asymmetrical warfare to riposte against superior forces.
It is a small step from there to dirty bombs and biological weapons supplied by vengeance-seekers in the humiliated countries but delivered in suitcases and through the mail inside America and Europe by homegrown Muslims.
The differences with Teheran are abysmal but refusing dialogue to avoid potentially massive bloodshed is short-sighted. For instance, Washington sees its stand against Iran as a step towards nuclear non-proliferation. Iran’s leaders see this as an attempt to keep their country technologically handicapped.
Washington is promoting democracy and open markets as the most effective foundations for peace, prosperity and human freedoms. Iran’s leaders see this discourse as a Trojan horse intended to destabilize the grip of Shiite Islam in its traditional haven and create regime change.
Whatever our opinions about the worth or folly of Iranian views, this is what we have to work with, like it or not.
It is true that Iran’s regime is a threat to Israeli security with or without Hizballah and is a troublemaker in Iraq. It is also likely that Iran wants to be the prime military and political power in its region, superseding Saudi Arabia.
At the same time, most experts say the nuclear threat from Iran is potential not imminent since it is a decade away from making a weapon.
Humiliation of Iran cannot be separated from humiliation of Shiite Islam, since it is a theocracy. Perhaps, Arab Sunnis will rejoice but Shiite Persians and Arabs are unlikely to lie down to be stepped on.
Since nobody can win a conventional war against America, the only alternative for vengeful terrorists would be an asymmetrical war of attrition in the US and European homelands.
Surely, it is unwise to open deliberately this Pandora’s Box in addition to Sunni terrorism, which may intensify because of Al Qaeda’s hatred of America’s continued military footprint in the Middle East.
This article is not an appeal to renounce war as the ultimate means of neutralizing Iran’s ambitions if they really are implacably hostile. It is a request for frank, direct, open-minded and thorough talks first between Washington and Teheran.
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6 Responses to “More hatred, more terrorism”
Too bad the forces that be won’t allow that to happen since it will loosen their foothold of control of this country, IMO.
I’m a great believer that we should not engage in warfare until every other option has been exhausted. All options have not been exhausted, but tensions have heightened because we have not engaged in direct talks. By labeling such an option as appeasement, those in power have aptly avoided the very thing that could convince Iran to stop developing nuclear weapons. We have seen that the policy of isolation has been a failure in North Korea, so why do we think it will be successful in Iran?
In any case, I could not support the current administration in any military aggression against Iran, after where it has taken our country with the debacle in Iraq.
Yes, humilating Iran might breed enough terrorists that one day, with enough planning, they might fly planes into US buildings and kill 2000 people.
Oh wait…
Here’s reality: Islam worldwide is on an aggressive march to take over the entire planet. There are muslim enclaves in every nation and they are all working to force everyone else to submit to Islam and to take over and install Sharia law.
Muslims desire to die as martyrs. They believe that by doing so they will go to Paradise and be given 72 virgins to satisfy any and all sexual desires. (Women don’t usually go to Paradise, by the way, but if they do, they don’t get any special treatment.)
Understand. Muslims desire to die. Islam teaches them this. All other peoples desire to live.
World jihad, religious war, is a fact and there is no turning away from it or turning it away. It must now be faced and fought. There can be no dialogue. There can only be war. This is not the wish of the West, it is the driving purpose of Islam itself and it is non-negotiable. There can be only two outcomes: Islam will conquer the world, or the world will conquer Islam.
So get off the fence before you’re knocked off it and choose a side. Do you want to keep your freedoms and live a good life or do you want to get on your knees 5 times a day in prayer to a satanic god and be executed if you don’t? In Islam you can be chopped up for not growing a beard, as a man. As a woman you will have to have a male escort anytime you wish to go shopping or outdoors, while wearing your garment that covers everything except your eyes. Sound good?
Do you want to worship a man who loved having sex with his favorite nine-year-old wife, who invented his evil “god” Allah, who thrived on terror, murdered and mutilated 1000′s with his murderous band in order to spread his new religion by the sword? Or would you prefer to worship the God of your own choosing, or no God at all, to wear the clothes you prefer, to attend church or not as you choose, to eat whatever kind of food you like including pork? The list is long on both sides. Pick your Century, the 7th or the 21st.
Rastaman
http://www.islamanazi.com
Rastaman, do you know a single Muslim person? The way your post reads, the answer would seem to be no. I have several Muslim friends and coworkers and the broad brush you use to paint them all doesn’t fit, just like the broad brush some in the Middle East use to paint all Americans as warmongering imperialists doesn’t fit.
It is this kind of alarmist thinking that is exacerbating world tensions. The Muslims are not all extremists. The Muslims that are extremists are not one monolithic group bent on world domination. Please! Spare me the demagogery-we are getting enough fear mongering about the “islamo-fascists” from the current resident of the White House.
Interesting that right at the 5th anniversary of 9/11 and before midterm elections, Osama Bin Laden resurges as public enemy number one-on the level of Hitler and Lenin. We were told he was only tangential to the GWOT, the CIA unit that was hunting him was disbanded -so the emphasis on finding him now that Pakistan has abandoned its role is mind-boggling! I did hear on the news today that the CIA unit is reforming-is that for political reasons? To bolster up Bush’s claim that OBL is still a target?