Understand the overall cause of the group given that that's what's driving them. Know your enemy. Understanding individual terrorists, their personal drivers and why they would resort to killing innocents is a futile exercise however. Those activities are completely abhorrent and reprehensible. Knowing the overall cause you can then establish whether their cause is unjust/unreasonable, e.g. that of Al Qaeda, or whether it is just/reasonable, e.g. that of the Palestinians. Obviously this is all opinion-based and your view of what is or isn't just may (lol!) differ radically.lowing wrote:
oh ok, cuz I though you had suggested the we try and understand the terrorists and their cause then try and appease them so they stop killing.CameronPoe wrote:
I can't understand or empathise with someone who purposely murders an innocent person or in the case of war, a civilian non-combatant. I can see maybe why someone might do it when driven by revenge but it's not condonable.lowing wrote:
??? well???
I don't like the word appease, I don't appease true terrorists. Let's use reason/compromise for those people you regard as terrorists (Palestinians in general) and I regard as those that have been done an injustice...
Reasoning/compromising with Al Qaeda is futile and frankly retarded because they are very 'black and white' on their desire to destroy the west. A preposterous notion that must be contained. One cannot attempt to understand them or reason with them. That is blatantly obvious. Their cause is pure evil.
Reasoning/compromising with the Palestinians? By all means. The Oslo Accords and the subsequent Camp David talks between Yasser Arafat and Ehud Barak brought Palestine/Israel to the brink of a settled two-state peace. It seems that the current government of Palestine cannot be compromised with however. We will have to wait for another opportunity for peace at some point in the future, although pre-emptive unilateral steps towards peace can be taken in the meantime. It is unlikely that the likes of Hamas can be reasoned with or be treated as a trustworthy partner in steps towards peace in the short term, especially while they engage in crimes such as that of killing civilians.
The former quartermaster general of the IRA holds the post of Minister for Education in the devolved parliament in Stormont in Northern Ireland after 25 years of violence in the north similar to that which occurs in Palestine. The IRA laid down their arms and agreed to engage in politics as part of the peace process. Their cause was obviously just. Their methods unjust. The UK government did not intransigently watch the carnage unfold - they engaged with Sinn Féin, the political wing of the IRA, and today we have relative peace in Northern Ireland. An example of what can be achieved through compromise and understanding.
Last edited by CameronPoe (2006-11-14 17:05:09)