What’s the Ultimate Point of Terrorism?

I don’t understand what fanatical groups such as Al-Qaeda are actually trying to accomplish. Do they really think that if they terrorize us enough that the U.S. will just fold up and we’ll all just hide in our houses to wither and die? What is their ultimate goal?

If all they really want is for us to get out of the Middle East, that demand should be well publicized. Personally, I say let them have it. They have been killing each other for thousands of years and our involvement won’t change that. In fact, the reason we have been targeted is because the U.S. has arrogantly stepped in and declared that we shall bring “freedom and democracy” to a culture that we really don’t understand. We may have been seen as “infidels” in the past, but at least we were a world away. Now we’re on top of them, sticking our assuming noses in the middle of their business. Remember, culturally speaking, we are the new kid on the block and yet we assume that we can just force our way of life on all these ancient cultures? No wonder we have met with such resistance. No wonder U.S. citizens are so looked down upon when we travel abroad.

So yes, I can understand their beef with us, in the large scale, but I still don’t get what they think they can accomplish against “the great satan” or any country for that matter. If they had their way, they would destroy us all. But that’s never gonna happen. They can’t wage a full scale war on us, so they can never truly defeat us. Eventually, even if we fully retreat back to our side of the pond, they are going to have to put up with us on a global scale.

The only way they can get their message really heard, to make some real changes, is through diplomacy not violence. Yes, it’s a slow, unsatisfying path that lacks immediate results, but that is the way of the new world. These throwbacks to an older world can’t seem to get that their thick skulls. “Blow shit up and they’ll listen” seems to be their motto. Well, all that does is piss off all the wrong people and turns to world at large against them. It shows them for the lowbrow, mouth-breathers that they are. If they are really serious about their goals, they’ll knock it off and try more peaceful means. Unfortunately, they probably won’t because “smash it with a rock” is all they seem to know and understand.