[Pikamax]

John Arquilla is professor of defense analysis at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey. The views expressed are his alone. Contact us at insight@sfchronicle.com.

[RouxStir]

I agree. We should take his olive branch, shove it up his a$$ and parade his impaled, rotting carcass around in front of Al-Jazeera

[silverleaf]

Geez....Osama didn't offer to withdraw his forces!
He offered a truce if WE withdrew and let al Qaeda "rebuild" Iraq AND Afghanistan.

"Professor of Defense Analysis" my a##. And on the military payroll to boot.

[Ostlandr]

We can make the same deal with Al Qaeda (or Hamas, for that matter) that Britain made with the IRA.
If they renounce terror, lay down their arms, and join the political process, then we lose our excuse to kill them, no matter how much we'd like to exterminate every last one.

[no-to-illegals]

John Arquilla is professor of defense analysis at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey.


So...this guy is a defense analysis and he is saying we should accept truce?

Where did he take his tactical training?
What qualifies him to make that type of statement?

Treachery abounds.....?!?

I wouldn't have thought it would reside as a class professor at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey.

A truce mind you professor?

Let me tell you what you can do with your truce, professor!

Professor, Sir, shove that truce suggestion where the sun does not penetrate!

[don-o]

Dear John,

The adults are in charge of this.

You may now.....................

[popdonnelly]

It was totally predictable that some addled leftist mind would start advocating a truce. We had a number of truces in Vietnam. They were used by North Vietnam to regroup and reinforce.

[Maceman]

The views expressed are his alone.

I should hope so.

[Mike Darancette]

Muslims have a very poor track record on living up to their end of such accords among each other let alone with non-believers.

[Republican Wildcat]

Beyond stupid.

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

My tax dollars are paying this guy's salary? I want a refund.

[no-to-illegals]

Amreican Military Heroes are at the location now...
lets look in at what is taking place........

as the professor says "here's the plan,
We are going to retreat since we are winning?

Our Military Heroes to
Officer of the Guard,
Sirs,
Arrest our dear professor, he's delusional.

[Congressman Billybob]

This guy works for a US Navy School? What does he teach -- "How to lose a war?" Would he have advised accepting a truce from Hitler, which was the Munich Pact of 1938? We can all see how well that turned out.

Congressman Billybob

Latest column: "Senator Ted Kennedy and Mrs. Alito's Tears"

[kenth]

The moral imperative that should drive us is a sincere desire to end the long suffering of the people of Iraq and Afghanistan.

No, the moral imperitive that should drive us is the protection of the United States.

Truces are possible with conventional wars because of the verifiable nature of public leaders and their governments. We don't see Osama offering himself up in order to procure peace. The only reason for terrorists to be offering up a truce is that they are losing and need time to regroup.

[bilhosty]

Of course we should take bin Laden up on his offer of a truce. We should hold talks with him. And then when he shows up to talk, we shoot him.

[Popman]

John Arquilla is professor of defense analysis at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey.

I might suggest Mr. Arquilla take a semester of Islamic studies to understand the nature of the enemy.

He clearly is delusional about the nature of Wabbistism

[SuziQ]

Official figures suggest that 30,000 innocent noncombatants have been killed since March 2003 in Iraq alone. Many respected sources believe that this figure is grossly underestimated.

An who exactly is doing all this killing? Why it's Osama's folks in al Queda! The Coalition isn't out there sending suicide bombers into crowded mosques and markets, and in many cases, it isn't the result of collateral damage from bombs that are targeting Coalition soldiers. It is bombs targeting new Iraqi soldiers and police officers, those men and women who have sworn an oath to protect and defend their fellow citizens.

The killing is strictly terroristic; to intimidate Iraqis into NOT moving toward democracy.
It ain't workin!

[stocksthatgoup]

Neville Chamberlain Lives!