Al Qaeda - Time to Talk?

[JBee]

Apologies if there's already a thread on last night's TV programme. I did have a look but couldn't find anything, which I found quite surprising...

 

So.... Did anybody see the programme? Personally I just find it really upsetting that this is something that is enticing for whatever reason to young British Muslims. And I think that yes, it is time to talk.

 

Bush's 'we will not negotiate with terrorists, we will put them out of business' attitude just isn't working. How long will it be before disallusioned young men are blowing themselves up on buses and trains all over the UK? I'm not talking about something on the scale of 7/7 or 9/11, but more like that is happening in Iraq. Small-scale suicide bombs going off everywhere would cause just as much pandamonium and panic. Imagine not being able to get the 82 home from Fargate because there's a very real chance it might explode.

 

I think it needs to be seen as the responsibilty of every British citizen to focus on intergration. We need to stop these young men from being vulnerable to extremism.

 

What do others think?

[JBee]

I'm putting this back to the top cause I can't believe no one has an opinion on it!!!

[BrainThrust]

I watched this show and also found it very disturbing how the current foreign policy stance was playing right into extremism's hands. I think the guy at the ends summed it up for me when he said "Engagement is NOT endorsement"

 

Wilf

[El-Mariachi]

Apologies if there's already a thread on last night's TV programme. I did have a look but couldn't find anything, which I found quite surprising...

 

So.... Did anybody see the programme? Personally I just find it really upsetting that this is something that is enticing for whatever reason to young British Muslims. And I think that yes, it is time to talk.

 

Bush's 'we will not negotiate with terrorists, we will put them out of business' attitude just isn't working. How long will it be before disallusioned young men are blowing themselves up on buses and trains all over the UK? I'm not talking about something on the scale of 7/7 or 9/11, but more like that is happening in Iraq. Small-scale suicide bombs going off everywhere would cause just as much pandamonium and panic. Imagine not being able to get the 82 home from Fargate because there's a very real chance it might explode.

 

I think it needs to be seen as the responsibilty of every British citizen to focus on intergration. We need to stop these young men from being vulnerable to extremism.

 

What do others think?

 

As the former Jordanian Intelligence chief said "Engagement is not endorsement".

 

Or as the former head of the CIA's Bin-Laden team said, without US foreign policy, Bin-Laden and Al-Queda would be non-existent, or words to that effect.

 

I've also read a series of Articles by Mark Perry and Alastair Cooke, who have both advocated something similar for a while now.

 

5 years have gone by and we only seem to be at the tip of the iceburg. I really dont like where all this is going, and there's another couple of years of Bush to go yet!

[plekhanov]

I don’t see what can be achieved through negotiations with Al Qaeda as their demands are absurd and they have nothing to offer in return. The remnants of the Al Qaeda leadership should be captured or killed, not given the enormous boost in prestige of negotiating with governments.

 

This doesn’t mean though that we shouldn’t modify our foreign policy to address the legitimate grievances which the likes of Al Qaeda exploit to recruit and stupid and angry young men, we’ve been screwing people around the world over for short term gain at the cost of long term harm for too long now.

[El-Mariachi]

I don’t see what can be achieved through negotiations with Al Qaeda as their demands are absurd and they have nothing to offer in return. The remnants of the Al Qaeda leadership should be captured or killed, not given the enormous boost in prestige of negotiating with governments.

 

This doesn’t mean though that we shouldn’t modify our foreign policy to address the legitimate grievances which the likes of Al Qaeda exploit to recruit and stupid and angry young men, we’ve been screwing people around the world over for short term gain at the cost of long term harm for too long now.

 

which of their demands are absurd ?

They are a direct creation of our foreign policy, or let me put it another way. If we didn't have the foreign policy that we have, would Al-Queda have been around ?

[AtticusFinch]

Negotiations should always take precedence over military action in any conflict, so this one is no different. Sadly though, all world leaders are knuckleheads who only ever think of war. War is their default behaviour. It makes them feel more important and means that their arms industry mates can sell more of their merchandise.

 

War is a terrible thing and means that many people will die. The really frustrating thing is that the people who will die aren't the morons who've started and continued the war, but normal innocent people just trying to live their lives with their families. The most important thing in any war isn't to "win", but to stop innocent people from dying. If both sides are talking to each other then people aren't dying. A ceasefire means a halt to people dying, and even if it only holds for a month, that's a month in which people aren't dying. It really is that simple.

[bladesufc1]

which of their demands are absurd ?

They are a direct creation of our foreign policy, or let me put it another way. If we didn't have the foreign policy that we have, would Al-Queda have been around ?

 

NO we are the infidel and always will be in there eyes, they say were on their land, but England is a multicultural place, we could also start taking pot shots, saying how good our god is compared to there's.. But were better than that, they need to learn the world is occupied by everybody doesn't matter what religion they support,

 

Not all Muslims are terrorist but ALL terrorists are Muslim

[El-Mariachi]

NO we are the infidel and always will be in there eyes, they say were on their land, but England is a multicultural place, we could also start taking pot shots, saying how good our god is compared to there's.. But were better than that, they need to learn the world is occupied by everybody doesn't matter what religion they support,

 

Not all Muslims are terrorist but ALL terrorists are Muslim

 

Thats the nonsense of the neo-conservatives.

 

Would you care to give a definition of terrorist ?

[El-Mariachi]

Negotiations should always take precedence over military action in any conflict, so this one is no different. Sadly though, all world leaders are knuckleheads who only ever think of war. War is their default behaviour. It makes them feel more important and means that their arms industry mates can sell more of their merchandise.

 

War is a terrible thing and means that many people will die. The really frustrating thing is that the people who will die aren't the morons who've started and continued the war, but normal innocent people just trying to live their lives with their families. The most important thing in any war isn't to "win", but to stop innocent people from dying. If both sides are talking to each other then people aren't dying. A ceasefire means a halt to people dying, and even if it only holds for a month, that's a month in which people aren't dying. It really is that simple.

 

A sane voice.