Al-Qaida Claims Killing of Egyptian Envoy

[Homerun04]

Well said Spence.
I concur, with (1) exception....

Most importantly I think it's a mistake to assume this is an offensive war against the West for global Islamic domination,

I beleive in their minds it has already gotten to this point.

[JohnR]

Spence: Most importantly I think it's a mistake to assume this is an offensive war against the West for global Islamic domination

Originally Posted by Homerun04

Well said Spence.
I concur, with (1) exception.... I beleive in their minds it has already gotten to this point.

That might be the message of the guys pulling the strings are sending out to the islamic world but I'm willing to bet that most of the ringleaders are in it for the same reasons everyone else has used terrorism as a weapon:

Power: Many leaders of actions like this want the power and often the prestige of standing up to the west, particularly the US. Kaddafi & Sadam come to mind.

Waging war: It's there one primary form of attacking us, assymetrical warfare. They can't go to toe to toe with us conventionally so they go how they can, assymetrically thru terrorism. Worked for them in Beruit, Somalia, and they probably thought it would on September 11th. But it also partially worked in Madrid and likely influenced the election.

[PurpelNoon]

As long as we don't desecrate the Koran.

[Homerun04]

Yes - read my post on the other thread....IMO it is all about POWER....and money is power in this world.....the USA (read Capitalists) have the money now (historically speaking). Therefore we have been able to amass all the power (military, economic, social, etc).

All wars come down to the "have-nots" figthing againt the "have's". We all want to be the "have's" during our lifetimes. Look to all the empires of the world and how they rose to power and then fell....the Byznatine's, the Roman Empire, the British Empire.....I can point to specific examples of how the "have-nots" in each of these empires rose up (rebelled) to shift the balance of power (read money), and therefore crumble each empire. The French Revolution ("Let them eat cake"), the American Revolutiuon ("Give me liberty or give me death"), etc., etc., etc.

Is the USA an empire in today's world? I think so. Do you?

[spence]

Originally Posted by JohnR

Many leaders of actions like this want the power and often the prestige of standing up to the west, particularly the US. Kaddafi & Sadam come to mind.

But both Saddam nor Khadafi are (were) SECULAR leaders

-spence

[Homerun04]

But both Saddam nor Khadafi are (were) SECULAR leaders

I don't really believe that. Do you?

Ask the Sunni's if Saddam was secular......my pojnt being SECULAR is an interesting word. It depends on which side of the fence you are on. Anyone can claim thay are secular, but then kill you becuase they disagree with your beliefs. Does that make you secular? I am not sure.

[Nebe]

We are absolutely an imperial nation. we dont claim lands to be our own, but instead we install puppet leaders to do our deeds and look out for american interests. In return they get weapons and $$..

IMO we need to rid ourselves of middleeastern oil, become energy independant and do a much better job policing our borders. Let the Iraqis and the iranians and the kuatis and the labanese etc. kill themselves.

IF Iraq had no oil we wouldnt be there


WHERE IS OSAMA!!!!!