[Shermy]

Interesting, but...

False dichotoimies between "hanson" and "Chomsky." Chomsky has no interest in understanding AQ and Wahhabism. Indeed, his screeds carefully avoid analyzing them, falling back on, for example, Israel obsession and bizarre linkage to American Indians in centuries past.

Author talks about Italian Fascism, etc. How about reading what Osama says? He says its a religious war. What's not so hard to understand about that? His comments about seeing the other in our "experience" is too narrow - I'd say prejudices, and for many, anti-american assumptions.

[okie01]

"How about reading what Osama says? He says its a religious war. What's not so hard to understand about that?"

"Fantasy ideology" describes a broader context.

E.g., all religious wars are, strictly speaking, a product of fantasy ideology. But not all conflicts involving fantasy ideology are religious wars.

Making his argument in this way also avoided having to encounter the emotional baggage that the term "religious war" might have.

Good piece. Supports my instinctive notion that the only satisfactory solution is to exterminate the whole lot, anyway.