Quote:
Originally Posted by Undertoad
Can I just point out a few things?
This isn't what bin Laden wanted at all!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Koppel
The goal of any organized terrorist attack is to goad a vastly more powerful enemy into an excessive response.
|
No it isn't. |
It is an intermediate goal (i.e. subordinate mission) of terrorist attacks to use the psychological impact of terror to evoke a disproportionate response that consumes more of an adversary's resources; thus, weakening its ability to impede the terrorists' ultimate goals.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Undertoad
Quote:
Originally Posted by Koppel
Could bin Laden, in his wildest imaginings, have hoped to provoke greater chaos?
|
Yes, he did: in pretty much everything he wrote and taped. |
Quote:
Originally Posted by Undertoad
Quote:
Originally Posted by Koppel
In a 2004 video message, bin Laden boasted about leading America on the path to self-destruction.
|
He failed. |
He succeeded in getting us on the path. It wasn't until after we crippled ourselves that we changed paths (and administrations). Terrorists are opportunists. Terrorist leaders, like other leaders of unconventional warfare forces, know that they cannot win the war alone; however, they also know that they can be the deciding factor when conventional forces (e.g. military and political) become sufficient to prevail over an even more powerful adversary. Remember "Peace with honor."?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Undertoad
Quote:
Originally Posted by Koppel-quoting-UBL
"All we have to do is send two mujaheddin . . . to raise a small piece of cloth on which is written 'al-Qaeda' in order to make the generals race there, to cause America to suffer human, economic and political losses."
|
That's not all they have to do. |
Of course not, they also have to establish a mosque near ground zero.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Undertoad
Quote:
Originally Posted by Koppel
It is past time to reflect on what our enemy sought, and still seeks, to accomplish --
|
Why not ask them? Here ya go:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2002/nov/24/theobserver
Quote:
Originally Posted by UBL in 2002 (abridged by UT)
(Q2)What are we calling you to, and what do we want from you?
(1) The first thing that we are calling you to is Islam.
(2) The second thing we call you to, is to stop your oppression, lies, immorality and debauchery that has spread among you.
(3) What we call you to thirdly is to take an honest stance with yourselves - and I doubt you will do so - to discover that you are a nation without principles or manners, and that the values and principles to you are something which you merely demand from others, not that which you yourself must adhere to.
(4) We also advise you to stop supporting Israel, the Indians in Kashmir, the Russians against the Chechens, and the Manila Government against the Muslims in Southern Philippines.
(5) We also advise you to pack your luggage and get out of our lands.
(6) Sixthly, we call upon you to end your support of the corrupt leaders in our countries. Do not interfere in our politics and method of education.
(7) We also call you to deal with us and interact with us on the basis of mutual interests and benefits, rather than the policies of sub dual, theft and occupation, and not to continue your policy of supporting the Jews because this will result in more disasters for you.
|
It doesn't follow Koppel's narrative whatsoever, does it? |
It's a nicely spun mission statement that contains premises we rejected years ago. Perhaps it's not so important that Koppel's narrative doesn't follow it as that Koppel takes journalistic license to persuade.