The Trouble
With the "every time we use force, we only make more terrorists" argument is that, like the "every time we use force, we lose the good will of the world" argument, is that it takes no account of the results of an alternative. At its most thoughtless, it assumes "U.S. does nothing" equals "terrorist numbers go down" the way "not accelerating by pressing the gas pedal" means "my Prius gas mileage goes up and Michael Reynolds pops a vein."
And of course it's impossible to know whether the disaffected masses of young Muslim men drifting in and out of Western cities and Asian madrasahs would feel suddenly calm and loving toward us if they saw some of their fellows become instant martyr virgin-magnets and heroes to millions and the subject of a thousand praiseful sermons for bringing the Great Satan shuddering to its knees and setting Islam back on the path to world-rule, and the so-called superpower turned out to be a big inflatable dummy that just lay there bloodied and did nothing.
But I can guess.
And of course it's impossible to know whether the disaffected masses of young Muslim men drifting in and out of Western cities and Asian madrasahs would feel suddenly calm and loving toward us if they saw some of their fellows become instant martyr virgin-magnets and heroes to millions and the subject of a thousand praiseful sermons for bringing the Great Satan shuddering to its knees and setting Islam back on the path to world-rule, and the so-called superpower turned out to be a big inflatable dummy that just lay there bloodied and did nothing.
But I can guess.
