tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-532914503860216905.post3777244650279531400..comments2023-12-28T20:23:26.235+00:00Comments on Rhymes and Routes: Al Qaeda and the Anarchists - Propaganda by Deed?Geoff Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001652498088237935noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-532914503860216905.post-55296973499454302812010-11-07T15:25:22.689+00:002010-11-07T15:25:22.689+00:00We've already done that with our longstanding ...We've already done that with our longstanding failure to address the situation in Palestine as well as these invasions. There is a notion, particularly among extreme right-wing American Christian fundamentalists, that the way to solve all the problems of the Middle East is to conquer the entire area and convert everyone to Christianity. While these people don't make the decisions in the USA, some of them are rich and influential; is it surprising that some Moslems are very suspicious?<br /><br /> The question is: are we making things better or worse by staying there? I obviously believe the latter, seeing that the death rate among civilians rises year after year and some people are looking back to the days of Taliban rule as a time of peace. Oppression certainly, but also peace. If our continuing presence makes Taliban rule look like the good old days, then we have already completely failed, a situation that I would maintain is irretrievable.Neville Grundyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10923209266005338452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-532914503860216905.post-67343730428450619112010-11-06T21:30:48.655+00:002010-11-06T21:30:48.655+00:00I take your point, Nev, but even if we withdrew fr...I take your point, Nev, but even if we withdrew from Afghanistan tomorrow, Al-Qaeda would still exist. In years to come, we may find that our ill-conceived military adventures in recent years have created a Frankenstein monster with a life and agenda of its own.Geoff Parryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13001652498088237935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-532914503860216905.post-25670412744610434372010-11-06T17:20:24.184+00:002010-11-06T17:20:24.184+00:00I've never been able to accept mass murder of ...I've never been able to accept mass murder of ordinary people, whether by the IRA, the Tamil Tigers or Islamist suicide bombers. But on the other hand, I can see why disaffected people might view our invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan in a similar light: far more civilians have been killed by us than every murderous attack by terrorists combined. Approximately 105,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed since our invasion, compared to c. 3000 on 11 September bombings, and 52 in the London bombings. Figures for Afghan civilians are speculative but are in the tens of thousands, if not more.<br /><br />Our nation's actions are not morally superior than those of our enemies - we are not on the side of the angels here - in fact we were the invaders. Being killed by someone dressed in the uniform of a national army is no better than being killed by a suicide bomber - and each civilian death we cause means a little bit more hatred is sown.<br /><br />I think you may be right about the change in tactics, but if I were an Afghan whose family had been wiped out at a wedding or funeral because US "intelligence" indicated that such a gathering of Afghan people constituted a threat, then I'd not look upon the foreign invaders of my country with anything but hatred and contempt.Neville Grundyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10923209266005338452noreply@blogger.com