Excellent quote, I will repeat it:
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<br>I did also want to comment on your notion that retaliation has not helped Israel. It is quite clear that without the use of retaliation, Israel would not exist as a State today.
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<br>This is especially true when the PLO declared (constitutional!) objectives remain the destruction of Israel and the murder of all jews. That is Hitler reborn, but in the 21st century. This is the kind of enemy that the US is going to fight now.
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<br>When they attack America as well, it is hardly a surprise that the US reacts exactly as in the past - war.
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<br>But today is not the early 20th century. The weapons, communications, economy, information (inteligence) and many other things evolved tremendously. It would be good if the use of war as a solution evolved tremendously as well.
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<br>Making the war as focused and localized as possible and aiming precise targets help. But making the war unnecessary would be even better.
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<br>I would also like to point some other facts about terrorists that need to be taken into carefull consideration:
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<br>1) Terrorists are not a country with a defined geographical location - they are normally hiding in the middle of inocent people. When they think they may be bombed, they try to be near hospitals, mosques, etc. so that even a small deviation can cause their enemys the biggest possible problem explaining it.
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<br>2) Terrorists do not have any commitment with war conventions and treatys, so they do torture people and do use weapons that neither the US or Israel could use (without the government being replaced immediately)
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<br>3) Killing terrorists during a war is unlikely. Israel probably killed more terrorists targeting specific individuals with comando like missions then during wars.
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<br>4)Targeting individuals requires a skilled inteligence service.
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<br>My conclusion:
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<br>The best "war" against terrorism is an inteligence war followed by punctual actions.
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<br>Although a war is (at this point) clearly what the people of America wants, moving troops is too expensive, too visible, too vulnerable and useless against terrorists.
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<br>Just my point of view.
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<br><br><br>Luiz