Andy: Regarding my other question about would you go to Iraq if
that was the condition on which that war would be waged, I can't
blame, you, I wouldn't go either. And, guess what? We wouldn't
be in this mess with no way out and be safer and stronger in the
bargain.
Eric: Until Andy gets back, I'll repost part of last night's
comments.
Andy: My definition of defensive [war] is [one that responds to]
a clear attack, like Pearl Harbor. In that case most likely
everyone would want to participate in some way anyhow. 9/11 was
a terrorist attack by an organization, not a state.
Eric: Can a significant terrorist organization exist without
state sponsorship? The original view on this was "no," and hence
the invasion of Afghanistan sought to deprive the al-Qaeda
varmints of their training centers and Taliban sponsorship.
As we have learned to our cost in Iraq, however, the answer to
the question, "Can a terrorist organization exist without state
sponsorship?" is "Sometimes it can."
But whether the US seeks to destroy state sponsorship of
terrorism or (what should be the new task) discredit the
ideologies and destroy the individual terror cells, it is a form
of defensive war. And given the proliferation of WMD capacity
worldwide, it's a vital defensive war.
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