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Terrorists and Wars: The elephant in the room

The War on Terrorism is on again. One person - yes, one solitary person - tries to blow up an airliner [not to be lightly dismissed!] and that War is earnestly on once again.

What is missing in all the hype surrounding this latest outrage, is an analysis of what underlies these potential perpetrators. We mightn't like what motivates these would-be terrorists - and rightly condemn them - but realities cannot be ignored. But they are!

Glenn Greenwald, always on message, writing in "More cause and effect in our ever-expanding 'war'" in Salon, pointedly details the underlying cause of terrorist threats, and how, all too sadly, no one seems keen on addressing the issue:

"If it is taboo to discuss how America's actions in the Middle East cause Terrorism -- and it generally is -- that taboo is far stronger still when it comes to specifically discussing how our blind, endless enabling of Israeli actions fuels Terrorism directed at the U.S. An article in yesterday's New York Times examined the life of Humam Khalil Abu Mulal al-Balawi, the Jordanian who blew himself up, along with 7 CIA agents, in Afghanistan this week. Why would Balawi -- a highly educated doctor, who was specifically recruited by Jordanian intelligence officials to infiltrate Al Qaeda on behalf of Western governments -- want to blow himself up and murder as many American intelligence agents as possible? The article provides this possible answer:

He described Mr. Balawi as a "very good brother" and a "brilliant doctor," saying that the family knew nothing of Mr. Balawi’s writings under a pseudonym on jihadi Web sites. He said, however, that his brother had been "changed" by last year’s three-week-long Israeli offensive in Gaza, which killed about 1,300 Palestinians.

An Associated Press discussion of the possible motives of accused Christmas Day airline attacker Umar Faruk Abdulmutallab contained this quite similar passage (h/t Casual Observer):

Students and administrators at the institute said Abdulmutallab was gregarious, had many Yemeni friends and was not overtly extremist. They noted, however, he was open about his sympathies toward the Palestinians and his anger over Israel's actions in Gaza."

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