THEN we can go into Waziristan with the kind of force that’s needed to flush out AQ. It may well precipitate a coup against Musharraf, but we know that was going to happen anyway.

I’m really tired of seeing us trying to win this war when we’re letting ourselves be locked out of the core battlefield because of a seemingly no-win situation.

Here’s what I think is the key graph from the worldpublicopinion link:

Most significantly, large majorities approve of many of al Qaeda’s principal goals. Large majorities in all countries (average 70 percent or higher) support such goals as: “stand up to Americans and affirm the dignity of the Islamic people,” “push the US to remove its bases and its military forces from all Islamic countries,” and “pressure the United States to not favor Israel.”

These countries don’t want Western (read U.S.) values foisted on them, they want to retain their cultural and historical identities.

Regarding the graph that Bryan posted, I think the question may be interpreted differently by the people in these countries than it is by people in the U.S. It is probably more akin to asking a conservative if he wants the Constitution strictly interpreted by our judges. I think the question that should have been posed is do you want a Taliban-like enforcement of Shari’a law. That is something that would transcend the cultures more clearly.

Buzzy on July 20, 2007 at 4:59 PM

True. But if the Talibanists and their al-Qaeda friends try to export their dream of a Caliphate to Red Chinese real estate, expect the old men in Beijing to react very badly. As in “massive military response” badly.

If you think about it, Pakistan and Afghanistan are much easier-to-invade objectives from the Chinese POV than Tibet was. And they’ve already “been there, done that”. And they’re still there, almost half-a-century later, world opinion be d**ned. The PLA has probably had “contingency plans” for taking Islamabad and Kabul for at least forty years. It wouldn’t take a great deal of “provocation” for those plans to be dusted off, and orders cut. After which, Pakistan and Afghanistan would probably end up as the newest Chinese provinces.

At which point the bulk of the Islamic world, which lies mostly west and south of Kabul, would have an uncomfortable fact to deal with. Namely, that they would then be in a direct confrontation with a regional power that has them outnumbered, outgunned, has enough “regional reach” to hit virtually every center of gravity they have- and which frankly does not care what the “politically correct”, at home or abroad, think.

The result could be very nasty, indeed. All around.

/just an observation.

cheers

eon

And don’t expect the Chinese to get too upset over losing a few people, they won’t. Business is much more important than a few or even a lot of their people, I promise.

I don’t think they have the juice to take over the world. Once we no longer need their oil, they will go back to begging.

The Chinese will not be too worried about world opinion when and if they deal with it.

No free elections please until there is a free population.

Peace through weakness. Riiiiight.

Terrorists certainly admire weenies.

Don’t think they have those over there. It’s a religious thing.

Pakistan…..170,000,000 souls
Texas…….. 28,000,000 souls

Good luck Mushy…..you’re gonna need it.

Do the Jihadis realize what the Chinese would do to them if they get sufficiently PO’d ?

What we would have done to them when we were still run by strong men.

Coordinates anyone?