Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: Steel Wolf
Deaths of American soldiers increased after the invasion of Italy and France. That does not mean that the Germans had replaced NAZIsm with a rational nationalism.

Just as the commies appropriated causes and took advantage of otherws, so to the Islamists do.
I would also note that attacks on Americans increased in 1943 and 2003 for the same reason, we were more accessable!
73 posted on 09/27/2006 7:04:39 PM PDT by rmlew (DeathKlok Rules!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 45 | View Replies ]


To: rmlew
Deaths of American soldiers increased after the invasion of Italy and France. That does not mean that the Germans had replaced NAZIsm with a rational nationalism.

Nazism may have been evil, but it was mostly rational. At any rate, WWII analogies, though popular on FR, are bound to fail, because they're comparing two very different forms of warfare. Conventional maneuver battles and long term counterinsurgency efforts are more dissimilar than similar. The only comment I can make is that your point is correct, but irrelevant to the subject of fanatical suicide bombers.

Just as the commies appropriated causes and took advantage of otherws, so to the Islamists do.

A play right out of AQ handbook. Their core philosophy is actually not at all appealing to most Muslims, but they are seen as the only real Muslim resistance to Western aggression and what have you. They gain public support by latching onto public fears, grievances, and interests, when no one else will. It's manipulative, but it works.

I would also note that attacks on Americans increased in 1943 and 2003 for the same reason, we were more accessable!

The accessibility issue, at a glance, has some merit, however, it fails under closer scrutiny:

1. American interests, embassies, tourists, military, and other targets are all over the world. America, both officially and unofficially, is accessible everywhere in the Middle East. Yet suicide bombings were quite rare up until the occupation of Iraq.

2.We were in Afghanistan prior to Iraq, but the suicide bombings have only started there recently. It's a remote place, not in the heart of the Arab world, though, and our attack was clearly a form of retaliation, not aggression. Thus, no larger territorial defensive instinct was triggered. Now that the wars are considered linked, we find it to be somewhat of a double edged sword, as recruiting for both is easier.

3. 9/11, of course, proves that America proper is not more than a plane ticket away. Suicide vests are easy to make, and homemade bombs can be fashioned by anyone with a decent knowledge of chemistry. If you think that the Syrian borders are porous, try the Mexican / Canadian ones.

Suicide bombers can get here, but don't. The reason for that is that suicide attacks can only be sold to most people as defensive tools. You'll never see more than a tiny percentage of people go into lands they don't perceive as their own to conduct a suicide attack.

80 posted on 09/27/2006 8:17:20 PM PDT by Steel Wolf (As Ibn Warraq said, "There are moderate Muslims but there is no moderate Islam.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 73 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson