Terrorism <i>à l'outrance</i>

Terrorism à l’outrance

Observing the start of a four-day Moslem holiday in the Kurdish part of Iraq, the leaders of the country’s two main Kurdish parties were greeting hundreds of supporters at their respective offices when two suicide bombers, dressed as Moslem clerics, simultaneously set off bombs killing 56 people and injuring hundreds. This is the first time that terrorists in Iraq—and they may well have been from the Al Qaeda-linked Ansar Al Islam group—have used explosives strapped to their bodies. These Wahhabi fanatics have made it clear that they are ready and willing to destroy all human life on earth that is not under their thumb.

Which raises the question. Was the United States too aggressive in conquering Iraq and thus setting off this hideous terrorist insurgency? Or have we been not nearly aggressive enough?

Posted by Lawrence Auster at February 03, 2004 07:26 PM | Send

Comments

It is a good question as to whether we have been to aggressive or not aggressive enough in Iraq.
I believe that since we did actually invade Iraq after all the pro and con debate, we have not acted with nearly the required aggression. We still don’t really frighten the Moslem “holy warriors”.
George Bush is far to soft a man to do what is really necessary in Iraq - so it is probably a very bad mistake that we invaded in the first place. I recommend that people read the book “Empire” by Niall Ferguson. In this book, Ferguson describes how the British extinguished a major rebellion in India 120 years ago. It involved a lot of ruthless shooting and men swinging at the end of ropes. But this is just the type of violence that is required to subdue third world primitives. Being a nice guy does not work. That is the problem with modern western nations - they always blink when they need to squeeze the trigger. It will take a life or death crisis to wake western nations up, but even then they may not awake in time to survive the crisis.
The President babbles stupidly about the “Iraqi people” and “Establishing Democracy”.
We have almost no chance whatever of establishing a successful democracy in Iraq. I lived for years in the Persian Gulf region and I know the people well. I just chuckle when I hear this nonsense.

I leave with a quote:

Insanity is the exception in individuals. In groups, parties, people, and times, it is the rule.
-Nietzsche

Posted by: bartelson on February 3, 2004 8:21 PM

“Insanity is the exception in individuals. In groups, parties, people, and times, it is the rule.”

This is very interesting, and could be re-phrased as follows: People tend to be rational insofar as they are conducting their personal, family, and working lives. But insofar as they are functioning as followers of parties, movements, ideologies, they tend to be irrational.

Posted by: Lawrence Auster on February 3, 2004 8:27 PM

bartelson’s thoughts are similar to mine. I’ll only add that the U.S. also once knew how to deal effectively with insurrections, even Muslim ones. It did so quite effectively in the Philippines, specifically in Muslim Mindanao.

Posted by: Paul C. on February 3, 2004 9:41 PM