"Yes, it is fuelled by desperation. Thats why waging a war is not the answer."

Given that most of these people come from an area that considers vendettas and blood feuds normal courses of action, what makes you think being nice to them is going to change their attitude toward you or any of the rest of us infidels?

Perhaps where I'm most confused is that most of what I hear coming out of the 9/11 Commission is that this is exactly how 9/11 could have been prevented. If we'd have sent in special forces or used cruise missles better or something of that sort, this would all be over. I'm not faulting the Commission (who hasn't published a final report and may not say this at all) or trying to lay blame, I'm just trying to understand what will work.

Thing is, I remember more traditional terrorists from the 60s and 70s who wanted things that couldn't happen. In some cases there were competing nationalist terrorists who wanted the exact opposite things.    Appeasing one would provoke the other. Worse, there's a reason appeasement has a bad name. Give some people an inch and they are encouraged to blow up more people to get their mile.

If traditional war isn't the answer and special ops aren't the answer and appeasement isn't the answer, what am I left with?