Tuesday, September 27, 2005
The Cure for Martyrdom
There is truth in the concern that if you kill an ideological opponent you risk creating a martyr: a symbol that could strengthen and unify your opponent. In this war against militant Islam the United States and Israel are often cautioned not to kill certain opponents lest we create a martyr. I don't think this concern makes sense in war. In war, the best way to negate the martyrdom phenomenon is to water it down. In a nutshell, you create so many martyrs that your enemy cannot keep track of them, much less revere them.
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2 comments:
Agreed. Very logical. Problem is, I think the Islamic extremists are so short sighted personally that split second martyrdom is all the reverence they need. Still, on the grand scale, you are correct - the few that see the big picture, they won't be able to revere any of them if there are mass numbers. Further, if we ignored their actions (ie, no media stories) they wouldn't see the "value" in becoming a martyr. Thanks for visiting my sight, and I liked your comments on the Katrina aftermath. Outlying communities should definitely benefit from rebuilding - but I am with you - I don't want to subsidize their insurance or even be taxed for ignorance in preventive maintenance (N.O. and 30 yrs of faulty levee knowledge).
Nickie Goomba, my thoughts exactly. Thanks for commenting. Your site is great by the way. I've added your site and Daisy Cutter to my links list.
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