Do you like the "A-ha!" experience?

~"You could kill all the terrorists in Afghanistan, all the terrorists in the world. You could hang Osama bin Laden in sight of the White House. You still wouldn't have solved the problem because you will have created a whole new generation of terrorists." -Col. Richard Dunn writing in the Washington Post, quoted on ABC THIS WEEK, October 21, 2001

A war [against Iraq] that is unjustified in the eyes of most people [1] will act as a recruiting sergeant for Islamic fundamentalists and - ultimately - a new generation of terrorists. I cannot stand by as mayor of a city that would inevitably become a potential target of terrorism without saying that such a policy would be a terrible folly. -Ken Livingston, Mayor of London ... NOT IN OUR NAME Jan 21 2003, World unites against Iraq war; POLL LATEST: 81 % say NO to war, 10 % say yes, By David Pilditch

It's this eye-for-an-eye code of Mr. Mohammad's Pashtun ethnic group that Al Qaeda and its allies are exploiting to create new suicide squads in Afghanistan, say Afghan intelligence officials. ... The December 2001 bombing of the mosque is just one action that has many Afghans upset. ... In each incident, tribal councils alerted the provincial government that they intend to take revenge against US forces.
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...when America's bombing campaign began last October, Mr. Hekmatyar [exiled head of Hizb-I Islami, a party that fought the Russians and a civil war against the Taliban ] declared a jihad against American troops. Last month, he announced his alliance with Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
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... Just three weeks ago, in a crowded market in Kabul, a young Afghan teenager [Abdullah Jan] threw a grenade into a jeep full of American soldiers. The soldiers were severely injured. ... Locals describe Abdullah Jan as a smart, pious 11th grader who prayed five times a day and learned English in a madrassah in Pakistan. Before the war, Abdullah showed no concern for politics. But after the death of his brother Nasratullah, [in the December 2001 U.S. bombing of the mosque] he increasingly talked with local mullahs of plans for revenge. Latest Al Qaeda recruits: Afghans seeking revenge, Al Qaeda is filling suicide squads with civilians who have lost family members to US attacks., Scott Baldauf, The Christian Science Monitor, January 13, 2003

NOTES:

[1]

Which country poses the greatest danger to world peace in 2003? return
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North Korea - - - - - 7.6 %

Iraq- - - - - - - - - 8.6 %

The United States- - 83.8 %
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Total Votes Cast: 293,916
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TIMEeurope.com Poll: The Biggest Threat To Peace: Which country really poses the greatest danger to world peace in 2003? TIME asks for readers' views These results as of January 26, 2003, 10:01:20

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