This is a response to the last comment left by Joshua Ellis. Read that if you want to understand what's going on.
I am fully aware that the Taliban grew directly out of the mujahideen forces supported by America in the 1980s. I am also fully that during the 1980s, the largest supporter of Iraq was, in fact, the United States, for we saw him as a useful tool to counter Iran, an extremist state with connections to Russia. I am also aware that a significant number of the combatants that show up in any theater where Muslim extremeists are involved can be traced back to Afghanistan. Ironically enough, a significant percentage of the munitions used against us in Afghanistan were probably US in origin.
But if you'll notice, the only reason the US was in Afghanistan was to counter the presence of the USSR in the region. We supported the mujahideen in Afghanistan because they were fighting the Russians. This was an international affair. We haven't supported other non-governmental groups because their activities are largely domestic. When the Russians withdrew, there was no longer any reason for the US to support these terrorist organizations, so we stopped. We stopped supporting Iraq Then things got interesting. I submit for your perusal the following document, entitled "Significant Terroist Incidents 1961-2001: A Brief Chronology" put out by the State Department.
Things to notice: first, the number of terrorist incidents between 1961 and 1982 is equal to the number of incidents between 1983 and 1986. A significant ramp up of activity, it seems to me. They only get more numerous from there. Second, until 1993, the vast majority of terrorist targest have been government and/or military targets, all of them overseas.
But in 1993 Islamist extremists planted a bomb in the World Trade Center. They failed to do more than blow up a floor of the parking garage, but he still killed some people. After a years-long manhunt and trial, some of the perpetrators were convicted and imprisoned.
In 1996, the Khobar Towers, an American military housing complex, was blown up in Saudi Arabia, killing 19 and wounding 515.
On February 23, 1997, an Palestinian sniper opened fire from the observation platform of the Empire State building. He killed one person - who happened to be Danish - and wounded several others before turning the gun on himself.
On November 12, 1997, two American businessmen were killed in Pakistan. Two Islamist groups claimed responsibility.
On November 17, 1997, Islamists open fire on tourists visiting the Hatshepsut temple in Egypt, killing 58 tourists and 4 Egyptians. This time, the suspects were probably Egyptian terrorists whose link to Al Qaeda was secondary at best.
In 1998, two US Embassies, one in Nairobi and the other in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, were blown up. Osama bin Laden is the chief suspect.
In October, 2000, the USS Cole was attacked, killing 17 and wounding 39. Again, bin Laden is the chief suspect.
11 months later, 9/11/01, New York was hit again, this time accomplishing what the terrorists failed to do 8 years before.
The list I have compiled is only a small portion of the State Department list, which is itself not complete. But something to notice. The number of attacks has been increasing, and the targeting of Americans is definitely there. We are less safe than we were during the Cold War, when the terrorists had other things to think about, and were often supported by us. You don't bite the hand that feeds you. "Nibble a little maybe, in an affectionate sort of way, but not actually bite." In the last 20 years, we have lost more people to terrorism than military conflict. Hell, 9/11/01 alone would accomplish that. But in any case, I do sincerely believe that since the end of the Cold War, we are much more likely to be hit by terrorists, and much more likely to have those terrorists strike home. The Washington sniper incident, which turned out to be entirely domestic, could have easily been accomplished by foreign nationals. If that guy had been wearing a turban, you can bet your hide that we would have gone into Iraq the next day.
(And if you think about it, those two guys in a car did a far more effective job of paralyzing a city than the WTC hijackers did. Drop 40