The use of force ALWAYS creates hate. That's the problem with the Israeli-Palestinian disagreement. What the US is doing to "fight terrorism" is to create more of the hate which started the terrorism.

AND, at the interface of religious and political interests, the religious interests seem to have the most enduring power.

The US could try to learn from WWII and Vietnam. Either occupy the territory for a long, long time, or don't go. In the latter cases seek a political solution, or get ground to meat. In Vietnam the True Believers were fighting for their country, the Americans were at first fighting for democracy, in the last 8 or 10 years were fighting to protect a Presidents' image. The True Believers won.

Or, stand off and bomb civilians, innocent people, while protesting terrorism. How many innocent people have died while the US hopes to get OBL? How much hate has been created by just plain carelessness, figuring the hicks just "get used to it"? And then leaving the country with a puppet regime and limited assistance to recover from the bombings, like Afghanistan - how does that promote peace?

Doesn't.

Arf