The Long Imprisonment, err.... War

Ridge Says Terror War Will Last Decades

My take on this approach is that the ultra-conservatives--especially those having served/serving under Dubya--have no understanding of the culture in the Middle East and cannot fathom how to intervene... so they are stuck on using conventional Western ideas on how to confront these problems and are seeking a new "warm war" that will last for decades and justify the fear-mongering that will allow the over-reach for political and global power. We need to fight terrorists and terrorism, but doing so means we have to cast aside the rigid militaristic approach of regime changing and move toward a different methodology that can be understood and accepted by the people in these regions.

There is a movie that is popular in the Middle East among Muslims... I believe it is called "The Message"... that illustrates how Muhammed had to deal with approaching the kingdoms surrounding Arabia during his time. Perhaps we should require all of our military leaders, diplomats and politicians to watch the movie so that they might become more aware of the cultural issues that confront us in Iraq, Iran, Saudia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of India.

However, until we get a real handle on how to deal with the people of the Middle East, we are stuck with the thoughts of extremists... either we blow them all to hell or we invade and occupy their lands in order to effect a leadership change in our image.... Not very effective, wise or useful, but the only options we are given... at least for the next fifty years if the ultra-conservatives have their way.

The real question is whether we want to be prisoners of our own fear and misunderstandings for the next fifty years.

As former head of the Department of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge personally oversaw much of the nation's efforts against the war on terror. So why does Ridge believe the war is likely to last for decades?

The Associated Press is reporting that Ridge said the war is going to last a long time last week at the opening of a new RAND Corp. office in Pittsburgh. Much like the Cold War, Ridge predicted the war on terror could go on for decades.

"For every (Osama) bin Laden, there's a bin Laden wannabe. And for every al-Qaida, there's a like organization," Ridge told the audience. "I don't know if anyone in the 1950s thought the Cold War would last close to half a century, but it did. The challenge is global and it may take a generation or two or more to reduce."

Federal, state and local authorities now share more intelligence than they did before the attacks, but they will have to continue improvement if they are to prevent future terrorism, Ridge added.