The Big Picture

I was going to write a piece about the study many are using to claim the war in Iraq has created more terrorism. However, it's confidential so who can say they're reading it correctly.

In any case, I've written about this issue so many times I don't want to start from square one again (but I keep writing because I don't want another ground zero). So I'll just cheat and offer a few selected points and conclusions.

We should not forget the main problem is those who would kill us believe false things. While we should try to convince them they're wrong, we have to be ready to use the stick with the carrot. It's not because of us that new fools join them, but because of the culture they live in where nonsense is common. If they saw things more clearly, they might not be our friends but they wouldn't be attacking us (think France).

Thus, leaving things as they are is not acceptable. We did little or nothing for decades, and cannot repeat that mistake. It will take at least a generation to deal with it. Until then, our enemies must know there are consequences to their actions. They didn't need the Iraq War to attack us five years ago, and they won't need it to get new recruits. (However, they are no doubt heartened when they see so much opposition in the West to the war.)

Regardless of what you think about the war in Iraq, I can't imagine a better outcome for the terrorists than us leaving early. This should be above politics. Alas, it isn't.