You folks have no significant disagreement. CarolC says don't demonize what they look like. Robomatic says it's okay to demonize the Taliban for what they are and do.

No problem. Similarly, you can't reason with a virus. I don't believe anyone fundamentally disputes the analogy. Many get hot to trot over the "understanding" the enemy issue. Some of us don't care what the converted zealots believe, except in the way such understanding helps to deactivate their poisonous effects. But again, there's no substantial disagreement.

On a broader scale, there is the issue of understanding who in the Muslim world might sympathize with the terrorists' abominations. The innermost circle would be the Taliban. Then there are larger circles. I think we all agree that those pools provide the sustenance for the zealots' activities: They are the source of both safe harbor and recruits for the zealots. They are the problematic source of resistance to a forced resolution. Eradication of the primary noxious agent requires understanding at those levels as well, even more than understanding of the criminals' mindsets. HOWEVER, in the larger circles we are dealing with the more civilized (less uncivilized) aspects of the problem, not the converted zealots, so the "can't reason with a virus" analogy breaks down.

We can't effectively build coalitions with the governments of Muslim nations without understanding the nature of their issues with the governed populations. They are certainly hard to fathom in many particulars. CarolC's point, which may seem small at first blush, speaks to the larger, more abstract problem.

Hope that made sense. It does at the moment.