"When I think of the hundreds of millions of dollars available to the terrorists, and the thousands"
The thing that still terrifies me when looking back on the Sep 11th event, is the cost. Effectivley, the attack cost them the cost of a few couple of dollar box cutters, 20 airfares, a microsoft flight simulator computer 'game', 4 or 5 people breifly attending flight school, a couple of hotel nights for them each plus the expense of getting into the USA.
Now, looking at that you realise that you don't need the resources of multmilion dollar networks of organised laundered funds to rock the world to the core. In fact thinking about the above I realise that I as in individual could fund maybe 60 or 70 such attacks and I am no rich Arab. I remember in the mid 90s reading papers on the coming age of assymetric warfare, but even in these I don't think they quite foresaw the magnitude of what could be done so comparitvley easily.
Likewise the London attacks that hit us last year were costed at around a few hundred pounds. Well within the means of anyone with nothing more than determination to their starting locker kit.
Scary world.
Scary world.
It certainly is scary.
We were clueless that 9-11 was coming. Only the Islamist ineptness,incompetence,lack of planning and impatience has kept us from being really hit hard in the aftermath of that event.
Unfortunately this war will last for decades and they will get more efficient. Hopefully we will face up to the threat.
In targeted European countries they have a good chance of winning by non-violent means by using their feet and wombs to overwhelm the Infidels - Tom