West cannot defeat al-Qaeda, says UK forces chief

[Jeffersons Ghost]

West cannot defeat al-Qaeda, says UK forces chief

The West can only contain, not defeat, militant groups such as al-Qaeda, the head of the UK's armed forces has said.

General Sir David Richards, a former Nato commander in Afghanistan, said Islamist militancy would pose a threat to the UK for at least 30 years.

But he told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show a clear-cut victory over militants was not achievable.

The BBC's Frank Gardner said the comments reflect a "new realism" in UK and US counter-terrorism circles.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11751888

Who knew? This is a big shocker to most of us here at DU. For years we've been aware that the wars are terrorists' best recruitment tool. We kill one and it pisses off 10 more that join forces with al-Qaeda; not to mention that our policies on torture have made us appear as monsters in the international community. We've probably made bin Laden the most popular hero in the Muslim world.

You can't fight wars against concepts like terrorism. Hows the "War on Drugs" declared by Reagan going? Did we win yet?

[RandomThoughts]

1. The sad part is people have known that for years.

It is in many books, and even in pop culture movies.

They are going after the card board cut outs, not the ideology, and in some cases some groups actually join the ideology while trying to fight it.

The postman, had the comment 'this is something else, they don't even know each other, we are after a ghost'

V said Ideas are bullet proof.



I of coarse do not agree with the use of violence, but that includes economic and social violence for control as much as from 'terrorist' organizations. So as bad as al-Qaeda is, they have killed far fewer people then poverty or economic hardships, and fewer then America in any decade actually.

The problem is the ability for one person to do much damage with leveraged tech makes a society that advances in tech above advances in humanity really a risky place. And much of that can come from ideologies and hardships in society. So the society goes security state, and creates more problems then they solve, since any form of oppression adds a push back against that system. So they have to justify it, and that requires fear, and from fear comes more overreactions.

So really the path things have gone is really easy to understand.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

2. western societies have gone from "security state" to police state...

The wars are the means and excuses to rob us blind. And they'll need police states to subdue populations after the ultra-rich obtain all the wealth and power.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

3. "None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free." Goethe