<em>Anything that is not Muslim is "infidel." Infidels have no rights. I agree with you, the West cannot effect a favorable outcome to Islamic conflict.em>
That may well be true but we had relative peace with egypt until the Arab Spring and many other Islamic countries are not the national security threat to the US that Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran are (recognizing the problem with funding of terror and source of terrorists with many of these "less hostile" Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia). There are different shades of Islamic rule but I agree none are a democracy....it just isn't in their 6th century political-religious DNA.
<em>In the near future, we shall see that attempting a favorable (democratic) outcome in Iraq and Afghanistan will produce no lasting peace. No matter how we leave them, their cultural impetus is to return to Islamic life and all of its attendant cruelty. It would have been less costly in blood and resources, had we done nothing but conquer and depart… the remedy we effected for Saddam in Kuwait.em>
Although I agree you are probably right I think its still too early to claim total defeat. Our problem, and one we did not anticipate and should have, is that when the people went to the polls they elected Islamofascists. Its why I am conflicted about the coup in egypt. The democratically elected Muslim Brotherhood resorted to their true colors as dictators and were ousted for it. What has replaced it is probably not much better but its too early to tell.
<em>So… what DO the Muslims understand? They understand defeat. They neither understand nor respect "nation building" or "charity" or "forgiveness" on the part of the victor in a conflict.em>
<em>Therefore, my premise is that we should meet their expectations when we strike preemptively or in retaliation for the harboring and or exporting of terrorism. If they ignore our diplomatic warning… we should exact selective and meaningful destruction of infrastructure… while avoiding carnage.em>
<em>Our military strategy should be to simultaneously drop eVeRY significant bridge (halt all motorized transportation) and simultaneously demolish eVeRY power station and switchyard (turn off utilities). This aerial/cruise missile campaign MUST be followed by dead silence on our part. No occupation… no nation building. em>
<em>ISLAM UNDeRSTANDS THIS PeRFeCTLY. I predict we would have to do this only once (do you remember Muammar Gaddafi?)em>