The way you counter this is to hold a press conference with Ridge and Rummy and a big map of the mideast.
Inform the world that if the arabs blow up wallstreet or pull any other shenanigans the following three countries in the region will be reduced to smoking rubble.
There will be no rebuilding, reconciliation or democracy. There will be desolation.
Advise the region that if they have any issues with this to reign in alqaeda. Tell the Russians and the Chinese they can damned well have any oil we just want to lay waste to the populace at large.
Outline the 3 countries that are ondeck after the next assault as well.
We'd have an end to terrorism and have mideast peace in the range of about 3-5 terrorist attacks.
Wonder if I should run for President on this platform ?
You're a little behind schedule, but if you do, you have my vote.
Need a running mate?
'prolly work though!
That won't work. It will be interpreted as weakness. You're forgetting that part of the Arab shtick is to get up there and say things like, "We will fill the oceans with your blood."
How many times did we hear crap like that from Mullah Omar or Saddam Hussein? Those kinds of threats are part of the game to them. It's what they do when they're scared. And that is how they will interpret any such thing from us.
Unfortunately, the only thing that is going to get their attention is actually doing it. That means no warnings, no threats, just a Whole Bunch of dead people, by surprise.
Then you can suggest to the ones left that if they don't want to see that again, they should knock off the ankle-biting.
To work, it has to be something truly horrific... something that will leave the French and even the Pope gasping for air instead of criticizing us for it... some engineering solution, coldly applied.
You must keep in mind that we are dealing with people, and I use that term advisedly, who are suicidal. They don't care.