There's a large dollop of naivete here. At this point in the process everything points to a distinction without a difference. Our real enemy is islam.
As for cooperation being "substantial", I have failed to notice any. Just pro forma busy work to be able to claim to be doing something.
To be blunt, can I challenge you to name any country which has begun closing madrassas? One? Any?
If all the cooperation we have been getting of late were to disappear, it would make no difference whatsoever in the larger scheme of things.
So no difference between the jihadi who blows himself up to kill women and children, and the Iraqi soldier who risks his life to prevent it? No difference between OBL, and a guy like Musharaff who has survived 8 assassination attempts because he's cracked down? Unlike you, I see a difference there.
As for cooperation being "substantial", I have failed to notice any. Just pro forma busy work to be able to claim to be doing something.
If you haven't read about gun battles in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, cooperation from Yemen, etc., I'm not going to waste my time googling.
To be blunt, can I challenge you to name any country which has begun closing madrassas? One? Any?
Pakistan has raided madrasses and arrested those preaching violence. I found these in about one minute:
http://fullcoverage.yahoo.com/s/afp/20050720/wl_asia_afp/britainattackspakistan_050720060631&printer=1
http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/jan/12parl3.htm
Here's an old FR thread going back to 2004 that discusses it. Enjoy.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1207600/posts
If all the cooperation we have been getting of late were to disappear, it would make no difference whatsoever in the larger scheme of things.
Really? And you're privy to all the classified assistance we're getting from those governments that can't be publicized? Because Bush has said that we've gotten cooperation that can't be publicized.