HI Simon,
As I have followed some of this thread, I am not sure when comments were addressing which person ... but anyway a point you made caught my eye:
but on the whole the conflict is about something.
I agree ... the terrorists did not become terrorists overnight ... they have fed on and developed an everlasting grudge against the west since the time of the Crusades ... when England and other "Christian" nations rose up to take back the Holy Land ... 9/11 is a major historical date going back to the 13th century ... the rise of Islam was bloody as was the rise of Christianity at times ...
The difference is that western Christians have learned to let go of the past ... much of Islam has not ... they resent everyting since the time of the Crusades ... their conflict with Spain ... their conflict with America during the 1800s ... their conflict with Italian and German invasion ... their conflict with the Uk when it controlled the area ... and now their conflict with the USA.
Out of over 2.5 Billion members of Islam, about 10-20% or between 250 million to 500 million hate the west ... they feed on hatred and teach it to their children ... and out of some of those, a million or so, come radical fundamentalist terrorists who kill their own people as well as westerners.
I accept and understand the angst that many in Europe and the UK have against the USA and even against Tony Blair ... I respect the difference in opinion ... and I wish there was a way to find common ground.
I honestly don't know where to find the solution ... for decades all we heard - since before I was a child - was talk-talk-talk ... Israel v Palestine, etc., etc., ... the Un is helpless as were most nations to deal with the tensions with many Islamic factions ... and I guess, since 9/11 the USA snapped ... its government snapped ... it got tired of decades of talk ... and deecided that maybe some military reflex would get everyone's attention ... was it the right thing to do? Opinions vary a lot depending on who you talk to ... I find that Asian people are very supportive of the actions in Afghanistan and Iraq ... and I find Iraqis are largely supportive of being freed as a consequence of US-UK actions to find the elusive WMDs.
I used to feel strongly about all this ... and now, all I can say is that I am pleased for Iraqis that they have an opportunity to enjoy some freedom from a tyrant ... and likewise for the Afghanis ... but beyond that ... I just don't have any simple answers ... all my thoughts get real complicated ...
I just hope that we do not allow these kinds of issues cause too much consternation among us all on the board.
Amazing