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Posted By: Dylan

In todays world we have smart bombs and precision strikes all to limit collateral damage. But let's remember in warfare an enemy has to be literally brought to its knees to stabilize a foreign occupation and government transistion. Fighting a war cannot be police work. It seems that we've learned little from Vietnam. The nature of warefare is a dirty business and it must be treated so. A fervent enemy must be completly and utterly destroyed. However warefare of that nature seems to be a thing of the past and now operating a police state is the humane but IMO ineffective strategy. Dethroning Saddam has done nothing but unleashed sectarian violence which was suppressed by Saddam due to his brutality. Now rival factions have been given the oppurtunity to fight and attempt to consolidate power in Iraqs new government which is unstable and decentralized. Did it ever occur to anyone that it takes an authoritarian regime to govern such a fractured country with old hatreds of one another? Unfortunatly the capture of Bin Laden will likely have little effect if any on the capacity of al queda. These guys work in a organizational structure of covert cells that is intended to limit the harm that can be done if members are captured and interrogated. Bin Laden has long had the oppurtunity to prepare for his eventual death or capture. Although a symbolic victory it would be, tactically little would be accomplished. I am optimistic that positive change can happen, but truths need to be addressed and not swept under the rug.